Diversions of the Heart
by forever-obedient
Summary: 3 years after Kagome was sent back to modern day Tokyo, the well mysteriously reopens... only it doesn't lead to 500 years in the past, but to an entirely different world. A world full of political strife, violent war, and needless suffering. Amidst all of this, Kagome struggles to discover her purpose in the foreign land and somehow ends up stumbling upon love along the way.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hey all! Another new story because I love _Inuyasha_ and _Akatsuki no Yona_ so of course I had to make a crossover! Chapters will follow along with the story of the manga starting from the Awa arc in _Akatsuki no Yona_ and will be my spin on things if Kagome was magically transported to that world.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own _Inuyasha_ or _Akatsuki no Yona_. I want to make it clear that I in no way mean to plagiarize, especially Mizuho Kusanagi's _Akatsuki no Yona_ as I will be using the manga's actual plot as a base and integrating Kagome's character into it, adding new material.

* * *

Chapter 1

Kagome looked to the door as two more girls were forced into the cargo hold. One of them had surprisingly vibrant, red hair and the other had long, strawberry blonde hair. The two looked like they were friends and the red head also appeared to be injured, but before Kagome could even think of going over to help, the door slammed open again to reveal a large, burly looking man dressed in expensive robes. Kagome quickly deduced that he was the lord of the town and the one responsible for crime running rampant in Awa, Lord Yang Kum-Ji.

"It was a better catch than I thought. Awa isn't half bad either," Lord Kum-Ji stated with a satisfied smirk that made Kagome's stomach churn with nausea.

One of the girls addressed him tearfully, "Lord Kum-Ji, what is going on here? I heard we could find a job here…"

He chuckled sinisterly and said, "There is a job. A very important job. You all need to wait here until tomorrow night."

Suddenly, he reached forward and yanked up the red head from before by her hair. He looked her over like he was inspecting the quality of a product.

"Red hair… I see. How very unusual," he chuckled in that same evil manner, "Her face is quite beautiful too. She'll sell high. No… It would almost be a shame if I sold her. They wouldn't mind if I took just one to be mine, would they?"

Kagome's eyes widened at how disgusting one human man could be. She had encountered hundreds of demons in the Feudal Era of Japan, but none of them made her want to vomit as much as she did now. In the past too, there were times when she was faced with the cruelty and selfishness that humans were capable of, and she couldn't help but be horrified by the fact that they were her own kind and they were worse than the demons they condemned. She shifted to stand up and intervene, but stopped when the red head's friend stood up first.

"I-I can do better! I can satisfy you better than that woman, Lord Kum-Ji."

Lord Kum-Ji looked at her and mockingly asked, "Oh?"

The strawberry blonde steeled her nerves and replied with what she hoped was a convincingly seductive look, "So drop that girl and let me be beside you."

The lord leaned forward and grasped her chin in his free hand, "You're right. You're quite a fine jewel. But―"

All of a sudden his leg swung forward, kicking her harshly. The girl fell to the floor coughing in pain.

He continued, "Don't interrupt me when I'm having my fun. I despise women who are impudent."

The man who brought the two girls in earlier spoke up. "Lord Kum-Ji, please stop. You'll damage the merchandise."

Lord Kum-Ji lashed out at the man knocking him to the floor as well as he shouted angrily, "Don't interrupt me!"

A couple of the girls screamed in fright as Lord Kum-Ji started grinding his foot onto the strawberry blonde's head and asked, "Got it? The best women are those that are obedient. If you tremble and keep your mouth shut like this red-haired woman, then―"

Kagome could see only the back of the red-haired woman's head so she couldn't tell what was happening, but Lord Kum-Ji was obviously startled by what he saw as his eyes widened in fear and he quickly threw the red head away from his person. But as he stared at the girl's form slowly rising to all four's, he seemed to realize something. Surprisingly, he asked her if she was someone called "Princess Yona". Kagome recognized the name only vaguely from the gossiping of the Earth Tribe citizens in the various towns she had been to since she was mysteriously transported to this strange world. All she could put together was that this "Princess Yona" used to be the princess of the Kouka Empire, but has been on the run ever since a rebellion where the previous king, her father, was overthrown. Kagome found it hard to believe that the fugitive princess would be captured and held on the very same boat that Kagome was on. What were the chances? Then again, Kagome's track record for attracting trouble was quite high, even when she wasn't purposely being "captured" to board a ship of merciless slave traders all to save kidnapped women.

The red-haired girl bowed her head in a submissive stance that would have been appalling if she _was_ the princess and stated in an even voice that she was merely a merchant's daughter. Lord Kum-Ji seemed convinced by her claim and actions, promptly leaving the room to which Kagome was thankful for. In his wake however, the women began to fret as their worry only heightened. One of the women started banging on the door frantically begging to be let out. Kagome quickly went to the woman and set a gentle hand on the crying girl's arm to stop her movements.

"Please, you'll only injure yourself by doing that," Kagome said in pacifying voice.

Another woman sitting against one of the walls spoke up. "It's impossible. I was put in here two weeks ago. Nobody came to get me out. To Lord Kum-Ji, we're no different than objects. Awa has always been like this hasn't it?!"

Kagome's eyes hardened in anger at Lord Kum-Ji and in pity for the woman with the long black hair who seemed as if she had completely given up.

The red head questioned the cynical woman, "Haven't you ever… wanted to change this town?"

"What?" The black-haired woman asked.

"Have you ever thought about fighting to overthrow Kum-Ji from this town in order to let everyone live freely?" The red head clarified.

The black-haired woman's face twisted into a scornful smile as she said, "Who are you? Are you really from this town? The only people who say things like that are outsiders and the pretentious. Both of whom are downright idiots."

The red head replied with a soft smile on her face, "Although they can be a little pretentious sometimes, I know people who are fighting while risking their lives to change this town."

"I'm currently helping that group of idiots. Though there's a less competent girl here too," The strawberry blonde chimed in with a confident smirk. The red head looked to her friend confused as to whether or not she was just insulted.

"What are you saying? That someone is going to come help us?" The black-haired woman was questioned doubtfully before saying, "There's no one stupid enough to try it."

Having heard enough, Kagome interrupted, "You don't know that. If there are people who are risking their lives for people like you and me, I refuse to let you belittle their efforts. You may be resigned to die in a place like this at the hands of greedy, selfish men, but I am not willing to let it all end here. Not for _any_ of us."

Everyone in the room was stunned into silence. The black-haired woman more so than the rest as she looked away from Kagome's piercing gaze unsurely. Kagome took that to mean that at least some part of her little speech had impacted the negative thoughts swirling around the other girl, hopefully in a good way. Kagome locked eyes with the red head and nodded in acknowledgment. They all had the same goal, and if the other two girls actually had people that could aid them from the outside, it would definitely be in Kagome's best interests to team up with them.

* * *

 _One day later._

"Everybody out!" One of the men yelled as their eyes were blindfolded and their hands bound.

They were herded onto a ship and stashed in the cargo hold. Sometime after the door locked with a click and they were left alone, Kagome heard loud banging noises and then one of the men came barging into the room to see what all the racket was. There was a _thud_ as Kagome could only guess someone had fallen to the floor, the man yelled again, there was a sound like a sword was being unsheathed, another _thud_ , and then silence. Kagome started slightly as she felt something furry brush against her tied hands and then suddenly she felt the bindings loosen. She immediately pulled her blindfold off to look behind her only to see a small squirrel which scampered off to chew threw another girl's bindings. Deciding that it definitely wasn't the strangest thing she had seen in her lifetime, she turned her attention to the front of the room where a couple women were closing the door and the red head seemed to be conversing with the black-haired woman.

As Kagome walked up to them, she heard the red head say, "Letting my comrades know where this boat is located is my job. Just hold on. We'll… help you without fail."

The red head was obviously in pain, but got up to join her friend to try to make their way up to the deck.

"Wait. I… I will help too," the black-haired woman stopped them.

Kagome stepped forward saying, "Me too."

They told the other women to stay below deck where it was safer as they moved just outside the door. Kagome commented when they noticed no one else was below deck, "We're lucky. It looks like all of their main fighting forces are on the other boats."

The others looked at her in surprise.

The strawberry blonde asked, "How did you know that there were other boats?"

"I've been planning to infiltrate this ship for a while now. Usually their shipments are only the boats that carry the captured women, but I overheard some of the mercenaries say that Lord Kum-Ji was going to have a whole fleet tonight to try to get rid of the pirates that have been attacking his ships once and for all. When I realized that you two had others helping you from the outside, I figured we could all help each other out," Kagome admitted.

The strawberry blonde seemed a little suspicious of her, but the red head and black-haired girl just nodded in acceptance.

"I'm Kagome by the way," Kagome introduced herself.

"I'm Yu-Ri," the black-haired woman said.

They both looked at the red head expectantly.

"I'm uh… Lina," she replied as if she was unsure of her own name.

Kagome figured that the girl was probably lying about her name, but since Kagome had plenty of things that she wanted to keep hidden too, she chose to ignore it. The strawberry blonde introduced herself last saying, "And I'm Yoon. Don't do anything to mess up our plan."

Kagome and Yu-Ri suppressed their irritation at the arrogant remark as Yoon went off to lure a couple of the men standing guard to the back room. The other three girls were there waiting and as soon as they caught sight of the men, they let loose a stack of barrels that went rolling into the men. Before Yoon could render them unconscious with poisoned darts, the ship rocked suddenly throwing them all off balance. Yu-Ri fell within reach of one of the men who had managed to escape from under the barrels and quickly locked Yu-Ri into a choke hold with his sword at her neck.

The man holding her captive said, "No Awa woman is going to make a mockery of us," as his fellow guard got up from the barrels as well.

Before he could say anything else, Kagome rushed forward with surprising speed from a human woman. The man instinctively pointed his sword at her to try to stop her headlong charge, but Kagome knocked it out of his hand with a well-placed kick and grabbed Yu-Ri pushing her back towards Yoon and Lina. The man recovered unsteadily and lunged at her. Kagome used his momentum to grab his arm and flip him over her shoulder onto the floor where Yu-Ri knocked him out with a makeshift bat. The other guard lunged at Kagome trying to catch her off guard, but she turned quickly and kneed him in the stomach hard enough to knock him unconscious instantly. As he dropped to the floor, the other girls looked at Kagome in shock.

Yoon's narrowed on her even more suspiciously, "Who are you? How do you know how to fight so well?"

Kagome just looked at her calmly, "We don't have the time for me to answer that, but I promise you that I don't mean any of you any harm."

Yoon looked like she wanted more of an explanation, but Lina intervened saying, "Yoon, she's right. We need to go."

Yoon nodded reluctantly and they all made their way up to the deck except for Yu-Ri who stayed back to protect the girls below deck. They ran into several other armed men as soon as they reached the deck. Luckily Kagome had grabbed a sword from below and Lina had grabbed a bow and some arrows, which Kagome could only hope the girl knew how to use. Kagome moved to stand in between the incoming men and the two girls.

"Go! I'll hold them off!" Kagome called out as she brandished her sword at the men.

Kagome could've easily taken out one or two of the human men, after all the speed and strength of a human was no match for the demons she was used to fighting, but five or six of them all at once were a bit much. Not to mention, she wasn't exactly a master swordswoman. Everything she knew about swords was what she had managed to learn by watching her friends in the past fight and a few sparse lessons from Sango. When the demon slayer had trained her, they had focused mostly on hand-to-hand combat that could supplement her archery, not on alternate weapons. Through her struggle to fend off her attackers, Kagome heard the distinctive sound of a firework going off and let out an internal sigh of relief even as she narrowly dodged a sword aiming for her neck. The dodge unfortunately forced her to move into the thrusting blade of another mercenary which sliced through the skin of her arm cleanly. She winced in pain, but nevertheless brought both arms up to block the downward strike of yet another mercenary. Suddenly the guy dropped to the ground, an arrow embedded in his stomach. Kagome briefly smiled in gratitude at Lina who was supporting her from behind. There were still so many of them though and Kagome was starting to get tired. Another one managed to cut her on her thigh, impairing her movement for just enough time to deal what would have been a fatal blow.

Abruptly, a series of daggers rained down from the sky downing the majority of the guards around her, including the one that was about to kill her. The daggers were immediately followed by the arrival of a tall man with green hair. He landed in front of Kagome, hastily and confidently dispatching the rest of the men with a ferocity that was so distinctly reminiscent of a demon that Kagome flared her reiki outwards just to make sure. What she sensed was not the aura of a demon, but it certainly felt similar to it.

"Jae-Ha!" Lina called out to the man who Kagome assumed was one of the allies Lina and Yoon mentioned before.

The man called "Jae-Ha" addressed Lina with a smile, "You really pulled it off. How cool is that?"

Lina smiled back and was going to reply, but was interrupted by more mercenaries boarding their ship.

Jae-Ha yelled, "Yona!"

Kagome made note of the name mentally, but she didn't have the time to indulge her suspicions. She moved to help Jae-Ha get rid of the other men calling over her shoulder to Yoon and Lina, "Stay back!"

As her blade crossed with one mercenary, she saw in her peripheral a few others being taken down all at once by a strangely dressed man with a mask over his face. Lina seemed to know him too as she called out to him, "Shin-Ah!"

Kagome could sense the same demon-like aura coming from him as from Jae-Ha, but where the energy emanating from Jae-Ha seemed to be focused in his right leg, Shin-Ah's was focused around his eyes. Kagome didn't get it at all. She had never in all of her travels come across something like this. The only thing she could compare it to was Inuyasha who was a half-demon, so his demonic energy was smaller than a full demon's like Sesshomaru, but Kagome could almost sense Inuyasha's bound demonic energy concentrated in the Tetsusaiga at his hip.

After taking care of all of the mercenaries on their boat, Yoon directed Jae-Ha and Shin-Ah to the next boat over that Lord Kum-Ji was most likely holed up in. Kagome and Yoon started tying up the beaten officers and mercenaries, but Lina seemed distracted by something when Yoon called out to her. Kagome and Yoon joined her at the ship's helm looking out at the ocean and saw what she had been staring at. Kum-Ji was fleeing like a coward on a smaller boat, but Jae-Ha was trying to stop him. Jae-Ha managed to take out the boat-man, but took an arrow to the shoulder in the process and fell into the water. Kum-Ji was pulling back the string of his bow to shoot a killing arrow at Jae-Ha who had nowhere to go. Kagome's eyes widened and she instinctually moved a hand back to reach for an arrow from her quiver only to remember that she didn't have any on her, let alone a bow. But then Lina drew back an arrow with an eerie calm, releasing it to kill the corrupt lord. The look in her eyes sent chills through Kagome's entire body. This girl… She was definitely more than what she appeared at first glance.

The fighting ended with Kum-Ji's death and everyone made their way back to land for a night of joyful partying. The next morning, Kagome went in search of Yona and her friends who Kagome had yet to be introduced to but last night she had already sensed that there was another one of them who had the same weird aura about him. She figured it was finally time to satisfy her curiosity, only to realize that the group had already left the port. She hurried to catch up with them using their auras as a guide.

She reached them just as Jae-Ha finished saying, "I'm the beautiful monster that carries the dragon within his right leg. I hope we'll get along from here on out."

Kagome moved forward as soon as he was done talking, "Um… So I take it your name's not Lina is it?"

The whole group froze. How the heck had this woman snuck up on all of them without even _Shin-Ah_ noticing?

"Lina" brushed off her surprise first saying confidently, "No, it's not. My name is Yona."

Her friends all gaped at her in shock. Yoon grabbed her shoulders whispering, "Yona! What are you doing?!"

Never mind Kagome could hear clearly everything Yoon was saying, Yona laid a reassuring hand on Yoon's saying, "It's alright everyone. Hak put down your sword."

"Hak" as she called him, lowered his huge spear-like weapon but continued glaring at Kagome in an assessing manner. Kagome took it all in stride, but that probably just made him more suspicious.

"I trust her. She helped Yoon and I make it up to the deck and set off the firework safely. We wouldn't have been able to do it without her," Yona stated gratefully.

Kagome nodded and smiled back, "My name is Kagome and I'd like to travel with you all."

Everyone was once again stunned into silence.

Then it was chaos. Everyone was speaking at once.

Hak and Yoon said in sync, "No way."

The silver-haired one, whose name she still didn't know, flailed about nervously yelling strings of broken sentences that all seemed to jumble together.

Jae-Ha smiled and clasped her hands in his in a very Miroku-esque manner saying, "I'm afraid the journey we are partaking in is unfit for a beautiful woman like you."

Shin-Ah stayed silent through it all with the squirrel from before resting on his shoulder, which oddly enough made him seem considerably less intimidating, even with the mask that Kagome had yet to see him without.

But it was Yona whose words quieted everyone saying, "I'm not sure that you really want to join us, Kagome. The journey that we are on is dangerous."

Kagome pulled her hands out of Jae-Ha's with a practiced ease replying, "Well, I figured traveling with a fugitive princess wouldn't be the safest option, but if you all are attempting to do what we just did in Awa for the rest of the country, then I'd like to help. Plus, I don't really have anywhere else to go."

Yona seemed to be considering it, and then she said, "Alright. You can join us as long as you are aware of the risks."

Hak added on in a threatening tone, "And if you tell anyone about her majesty, I'll have no choice but to kill you."

Jae-Ha looked at him appalled, "What a heathen. Threatening such a beautiful young woman so crudely."

Kagome sweat-dropped, "So… Mind telling me all of your names?"

"I'm Yona," she said with a friendly smile.

"Yoon."

"Hak."

"You may call me Jae-Ha, my dear. And this is Shin-Ah," he bowed and gestured with a flourish to the man with the mask who merely nodded silently.

"I am Kija. It's a pleasure to meet you," the silver-haired one said politely.

Kagome cocked her head to the side staring at Yoon curiously. "So, are you not actually a girl?"

Yoon turned his nose into the air replying haughtily, "I am a pretty boy and a genius."

"Oh. You make a very pretty girl too," Kagome stated causing Yoon to smile haughtily pleased that someone else acknowledged his beauty.

As they all set off on their merry way, only Shin-Ah wondered at how the newcomer failed to comment on Jae-Ha's remark about the "dragon within his right leg", Kija's right hand that was really more of a claw, or his admittedly strange mask. All of which would have baffled any normal person in Shin-Ah's experience. If no one else was going to question it then he wasn't, so with a shrug he followed everyone else down the trail.

* * *

 **A/N** **:** Hope you all enjoyed! I've kinda been obsessing with this manga/anime lately, plus my other ongoing story's not getting a lot of love, so updates should be fairly often with this one. Depends on the feedback I get so review/favorite/follow if you want more!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Hey all! Another new story because I love _Inuyasha_ and _Akatsuki no Yona_ so of course I had to make a crossover! Chapters will follow along with the story of the manga starting from the Awa arc in _Akatsuki no Yona_ and will be my spin on things if Kagome was magically transported to that world.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own _Inuyasha_ or _Akatsuki no Yona_. I want to make it clear that I in no way mean to plagiarize, especially Mizuho Kusanagi's _Akatsuki no Yona_ as I will be using the manga's actual plot as a base and integrating Kagome's character into it, adding new material.

* * *

Chapter 2

"The scale of Hakuryuu?"

Everyone in the camp paused in their chores. Kija gave a stuttered, "W-what?"

Hak gave him a deadpan stare asking, "What are you doing, selling off your scales?"

"Who the hell would do such a thing?!" Kija responded immediately.

Jae-Ha grabbed the pink colored scale from Yoon's fingers thoughtfully remarking, "So if we eat this, will we become stubborn like him? Or will our right hands become huge like his?"

The tick of annoyance grew bigger on Kija's temple as he yelled an indignant, "Hey!"

Yoon cut in informatively stating, "In fact, it's supposed to be a scale that fulfills love."

Hak and Jae-Ha instantly burst into raucous laughter at Kija's expense.

Hak questioned, "Oh? So where are those pink scales?"

Jae-Ha simultaneously said, "I see. Your scales can fulfill love, huh?" as he began attempting to peel off the white scales covering Kija's hand.

Kija yelled furiously, "Stop picking at it! That hurts!"

He continued addressing Yoon, "This stuff about the Hakuryuu scale is nonsense! Running a deceitful scam using the name of the Holy Dragon is the greatest of insolence! How could you buy something like that, Yoon?!"

Yoon looked at him blandly, "As if I would. It was given to me as a freebie when I bought two bags of salt."

Kija looked appalled, "A freebie?! That's even more suspicious!"

"It just means they're making love charms modelled after the four dragons, right?" Kagome tried to placate Kija as she walked by carrying a basket of laundry.

"This kind of thing is something girls ought to have. Something like, 'it fulfills love,' sounds cute, doesn't it?" Jae-Ha said while shooting Kagome his 'charming look,' to little effect of course as Kagome merely rolled her eyes.

The green dragon turned to catch the princess' attention as she entered the clearing also holding a basket of laundry, "Ah, Yona. Come here for a second."

Yoon answered Kagome's earlier question belatedly, "No, it's not a love charm. It's supposed to be… a so-called love potion."

Jae-Ha was just about to place the scale in Yona's cupped palms, but pulled it away sharply at Yoon's words.

Yona looked at him curiously. "What? Did you have something just now?"

Jae-Ha smiled deceptively saying, "Sorry, my mistake."

Yona didn't give his odd actions another thought and left to finish the laundry she was about to do with Kagome before he stopped her. Kagome made sure to give the womanizer a sharp look before leaving with Yona. Hak sidled up to his side giving him a knowing side glare as well.

Jae-Ha feigned ignorance, "What's the matter, Hak?"

"Don't play dumb. You nabbed that just now, didn't you?" Hak stated more than asked.

Kija chimed in, "That is right. Also, what is a love potion?"

The other two men looked at him blankly. Jae-Ha turned to Yoon to let the boy explain it instead.

Dutifully, Yoon replied, "Here are the buyer reviews. 'The guy I liked instantly returned my feelings when I made him drink this love potion! I recommended it to my friends, too!' (Anonymous, 18 years old)."

Jae-Ha cheerily said, " _That_ is a love potion, Kija!"

Kija only glared angrily. "So why a Hakuryuu scale?!"

No one answered him, but Hak commented offhandedly, "To think this country had such a drug."

Jae-Ha pondered, "Speaking of all this, it's possible a Ryokuryuu scale is selling somewhere, too."

Yoon seemed to be considering his own ideas saying more to himself, "I'm interested in whether it's just a drug, a poison or an aphrodisiac. But if I do it right, it might fetch a high price. So I'll hold onto it until I get the chance. Give it back." He held his hand out expectantly.

Jae-Ha said with his same smiling façade, "That's right."

Kija agreed easily, "We will not need to worry if Yoon has it."

However, when Jae-Ha placed his fist over Yoon's waiting hand, he failed to release the scale.

Hak and Kija flanked the ladies' man.

"Hurry up and open your hand."

Jae-Ha said unconvincingly, "Well, this might be a narcotic. Let me check it out."

"We got that, so open your hand!" Hak and Kija tried to pry open Jae-Ha's hand insistently.

"No. Hak, could you go do the laundry?" Jae-Ha questioned in a poor attempt to distract the two.

"I knew it was dangerous with you! I will keep it!" Kija yelled.

"Enough already! Your man-filled fight is getting annoying!" Yoon huffed with a tell-tale tick of irritation.

Jae-Ha suddenly exploded screaming, "But! We got our hands on something that seems interesting! Only an idiot wouldn't use it!"

Hak stated dryly, "Now his true intentions come out."

"Do not be rude," Kija admonished.

Jae-Ha cooled down some asking Kija, "You don't want to give it a try?"

Kija steadfastly answered, "I do not want to use it. It is foolish."

Jae-Ha suddenly invaded his personal space, whispering in his ear, "You don't want to use it even a little bit… with your beloved master?"

Kija's face flushed red immediately and he stammered, "Wha?!"

"You don't want to hug her with that arm of yours with all your might?" Jae-Ha taunted.

Kija was completely affronted bringing both hands to his face in utter shame of even thinking of such things.

Yoon commented in the background, "If Kija's arm did that with all its might, Yona's back would snap."

"I do not have such impure thoughts about the princess!" Kija insisted.

"Are you saying you have none at all?" Jae-Ha questioned doubtfully.

"Of course! The princess is the Sacred One who rules the Four Dragons! Having those kinds of wicked thoughts is a sin!"

"Without their abilities, the dragons are just human beings. Of course, Yona is also just a mere human being. Who can stop themselves from falling in love?" Jae-Ha asked rhetorically.

Yoon responded, "What you're saying is plausible, but you're a fiend the instant you use a love potion to do it."

"It's a plaything we can use to kill time. But I'll give it to Hak if he needs it," Jae-Ha goaded earning only an, "Idiot!" from the former general.

Yoon interrupted, "We don't know what it's made of so don't give it to anyone to drink."

Completely ignoring the cautionary advice, Jae-Ha asked lightly, "Well then, shall we taste test it?"

Before Yoon could stop him, Jae-Ha licked the pink scale.

"Hm. It's sweet. Like sugar candy," the dragon stated.

Yoon whipped out a notebook and a pen asking, "How is it?"

Silence.

"I feel nothing in particular," Jae-Ha said waving his hand dismissively, "It's a scam―"

* * *

Leaving the boys to their bantering and roughhousing, Kagome and Yona went to wash the dirty laundry in a nearby stream. Shin-Ah followed them, an ever-present, silent vigil. The two girls conversed in small talk as they did the day's chore efficiently, occasional feminine giggles echoed in the surrounding air and created a very peaceful atmosphere.

Kagome turned to the princess asking curiously, "So how long have you been practicing archery, Yona?"

Yona smiled and replied, "Oh not so long. Just a little while after Hak and I started 'traveling' together."

Kagome's eyebrows rose into her bangs, "Really? You're very good for someone so new to it!"

Yona's cheeks turned a light pink at the compliment saying, "Thank you, Kagome, but I'm really not that good yet. I practice every day but I feel like I'm still not improving fast enough."

"'Fast enough'?" Kagome questioned confused.

Yona's expression became determined as she nodded and said, "I need to become stronger, so I won't have to rely on the protection of Hak and the others anymore. If I wasn't so weak and helpless back then… maybe I would have been able to save _him_."

Kagome didn't ask who she was referring to. She had a good enough idea. The priestess looked at Yona with an expression of complete empathy.

"Yona, I don't know what hardships you have experienced since before we met, but I'm sure that none of it is anything that you should bare the sole responsibility for. And as far as Hak and the others, well you really don't need to worry about them. They're full grown men, capable of making their own decisions in life. They've pledged their lives to you because _they_ wanted to, and I think they would probably be hurt if they knew that you felt like you couldn't rely on them for strength. Isn't that right, Shin-Ah?"

The blue dragon nodded his head emphatically bringing a smile to Yona's face.

"Now, that's not to say I'm against a girl learning to defend herself. Especially when you're travelling with someone like Jae-Ha! So if you want, I can help you with your archery. I'm not exactly master status, but I've got a fair amount of experience under my belt." Kagome winked at her conspiratorially.

Yona blinked in surprise then smiling replied eagerly, "Yes, I would greatly appreciate your guidance!"

Shin-Ah silently wondered who exactly Kagome was that she was proficient in archery as well as swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat. Looking at the happy-go-lucky smile currently adorning her face, it was hard to imagine the bubbly young woman as a real threat though.

* * *

Jae-Ha jerked forward with a soft grunt. He groaned holding a hand to his head seemingly in pain before he fell to the ground. Kija rushed to his side thinking the scale was poison after all.

"Hang in there! Yoon is getting an antidote now…"

He trailed off as suddenly Jae-Ha's eyes opened and the green dragon took Kija's shocked face into his hands.

"I hate laws… chains… the four dragons…" Jae-Ha murmured softly.

Kija was even more confused as Jae-Ha maneuvered the two so Jae-Ha hovered on top.

"What? Hey," Kija said.

Jae-Ha continued his rant mindlessly, "So I should hate you, too. Yet… for some reason, your existence is stirring my heart."

Kija lost it yelling frantically, "YOON! WE GOT TO JAE-HA TOO LATE!"

Yoon remarked dryly, "It's alright. He's no more a goner than usual," taking notes of the side effects unconcernedly.

"Kija, Jae-Ha is under the influence of the love potion right now. Do what you can and be careful."

"What?! Hold on a minute!" Kija shouted from underneath Jae-Ha who was disturbingly attempting to kiss him.

Finally having enough, Kija swiped at Jae-Ha with his dragon's claw. Unfortunately he missed as the green dragon jumped gracefully out of harm's way. Jae-Ha seemed to charge at Kija who was ready for the drugged man this time, but Jae-Ha bypassed the white dragon completely.

Jae-Ha smirked over his shoulder, "It's real. I'll be taking it now."

Hak, who had gone back to doing laundry after losing interest, stood to attention now saying, "That bastard's true colors are back!"

Yoon took note of Jae-Ha's quick recovery.

"Hurry! The princess is over there! After him!"

Jae-Ha somehow managed to nab a cup of water, dissolving the scale in it. "Teasing youngsters is a privilege of those who are older," he said in a sing-song voice to no one in particular.

Jumping down from his perch in a tree, he spotted his prey.

"Yona, dear~"

Yona whipped around startled.

"Aren't you thirsty?" He asked holding the cup of love potion up innocently.

"Ah! Jae-Ha?! Watch out!" Yona called out to him, eyes wide.

An arrow flew from the bow in her hands right for his head. With his enhanced reflexes though, he of course dodged it easily. However, he accidently stepped into a pit in the ground and the love potion went flying from his hand. He could only watch helplessly as the potion splashed right onto the unsuspecting Kagome who had been standing just to the side of the princess. The dark-haired girl gasped in surprise as she was doused in the liquid, undoubtedly swallowing some of it in her shock. Shin-Ah instinctively rushed to catch her as she swayed unsteadily. She stared into his masked face starry-eyed and only Jae-Ha knew what that meant.

Yoon, Kija and Hak came barreling into the clearing fully prepared to separate Jae-Ha and the princess with any force necessary. They were not however, prepared to separate Shin-Ah and Kagome. They were all frozen in shock as Kagome's hands rose to grasp the mask covering the blue dragon's face, Shin-Ah still too stunned to realize what was about to happen and stop her. His mask dropped to the floor forgotten and gold met blue. Even with her potion-muddled brain, Kagome could feel a sort of pressure attempting to bear down on her. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable, but at the same time she could tell that _something_ was happening. The flash of color was like a bolt of lightning effectively breaking Shin-Ah out of his shock and causing him to squeeze his eyes shut tightly. Kagome made a small noise of disapproval as she cupped his cheeks gently.

"Shin-Ah. Your eyes are beautiful. Show me them, won't you?" Her soft, lyrical voice was tempting in its gentle pleading, yet he continued to keep his eyes closed.

"You won't hurt me, Shin-Ah," she stated assuming that that was what he was concerned about. "Open your eyes?"

He felt as the soft pads of her thumbs brushed lightly over the lids of his eyes, trying to coax them into lifting. Later, when he thought back on it, he wouldn't be able to recall what it was exactly that persuaded him to open his eyes. Maybe it was her tender prodding. Maybe it was just that he wanted to let go for once in his life. Whatever the reason, he didn't regret it. As he gazed deeply into the blue depths of Kagome's eyes, a blindingly bright smile blossomed on her lips. The second his mask had been removed Hak, Kija and Jae-Ha had started to intervene lest Shin-Ah inadvertently do something he would never forgive himself for, but now they all stood like statues too stunned to move. Shin-Ah didn't have his mask on. His eyes were open. He was looking directly at Kagome. And she wasn't in pain. In fact, she seemed to be far from it. How long had all of them tried to convince him that he should embrace his gift, learn to control it instead of suppressing it endlessly? Even Princess Yona couldn't get through to him, or maybe she was the least likely person that he would risk it on considering how the dragon's blood within him compelled him to protect her above all else. The moment was ruined when Jae-Ha surged forward suddenly grabbing Shin-Ah's face turning it towards himself only to be disappointed as the blue dragon shut his eyes immediately.

Jae-Ha shook him melodramatically whining, "Shin-Ah! How can you show Kagome your beautiful eyes, but refuse to show me?!"

Kagome brought a dainty hand to her head as she came out of the love potion-induced haze. Everything that had happened since Jae-Ha accidentally spilled that cup of water on her was all a bit fuzzy. Yona hurried to her side, a hand on her shoulder comfortingly.

"Are you alright, Kagome? Yoon!" Yona called.

Already approaching the two, Yoon checked her over saying, "It looks like you'll be okay now. The effects of the love potion have worn off."

"Eh?! Love potion?!" She questioned in surprise.

Yoon replied, "Yeah. It's being passed off as a 'Hakuryuu scale' that can make anyone fall in love with the first person they see after ingesting it."

Kija interrupted here, "That horrid concoction is nothing but a disgusting misuse of the noble name of a Holy Dragon!"

Tuning out the rest of Kija's ranting, Yoon made sure that Kagome really was okay and was satisfied with her health so they all made their way back to the campsite. The next day, when Kija was off apologizing profusely to Yona for some reason that Kagome didn't know, with Hak watching on of course, and Jae-Ha was making himself scarce for some reason that Kagome also didn't know and Yoon was busy making breakfast, Kagome wandered over to where Shin-Ah sat quietly by himself. Even Ao was missing from his usual spot on the dragon's shoulder. She sat next to him and noticed as he seemed to tense up in response. Knowing that it wasn't meant to be insulting, she didn't pay it any mind and just continued to sit next to him silently.

Surprisingly it was Shin-Ah who spoke first with a single word, "How?"

She looked at him curiously, head cocked to the side. "Hm?"

He paused unsure of himself, then elaborated, "How did you look at my eyes and not…"

He trailed off, but she got the gist of what he was trying to ask. The three dragons had never actually explained in detail their powers, but Jae-Ha's and Kija's were pretty self-explanatory and Shin-Ah's… well that she had just kind of figured out from context clues. The ever-present mask, Jae-Ha's almost-desperate attempt to get a glimpse of his eyes, and other things Kagome had picked up in the short amount of time she had been traveling with them. She didn't know what he expected to happen when he made eye contact with someone, but it must not have been good. Now that she thought about it, she did feel that weird pressure. It was hard to put it into words though. It had just felt _other_. Like a slight force maybe or a tingling at the edges of her awareness. Her spiritual awareness that is. To any normal human being it probably wouldn't have felt like anything, or maybe it would have felt like a whole hell of a something. It was hard to say whether or not Shin-Ah was simply underestimating his own control or he really was causing her pain that her spiritual powers had simply nullified before she could actually feel any duress.

Clearing her head of her inner musings, she replied honestly, "I don't know. But, I'd like to find out if that's okay with you…" She trailed off in an unspoken question.

He looked at her through his mask steadily in a way that let her know this was a hard decision for him. Then finally, he nodded.

Kagome smiled and clapped her hands together happily saying, "Oh good! I promise we'll definitely figure out how your power works!" Here her expression became softer, "You'll never have to hurt anyone with those wonderful eyes of yours again, Shin-Ah... Unless of course, you _want_ to! Maybe that'd help keep Jae-Ha in line!" She teased lightly.

If Kagome was able to see his eyes, she'd see them widen briefly before he shook his head vigorously causing her to let loose a boisterous laugh. His innocence was just too cute sometimes. Kagome couldn't help but marvel at how kind a soul he was, even though she reckoned he'd probably had a rough life before meeting the princess.

"Well might as well start now, right? Lay 'em on me!" Kagome commanded excitedly.

Shin-Ah shook his head vigorously again leaning away from the eager young woman's reaching hands. One of his hands was held out to keep her back and the other was keeping his mask securely on his face. All the while, Kagome was egged him on to take it off with a goofy smile plastered over her face.

* * *

 **A/N** **:** Hope you all enjoyed! I've kinda been obsessing with this manga/anime lately, plus my other ongoing story's not getting a lot of love, so updates should be fairly often with this one. Depends on the feedback I get so review/favorite/follow if you want more!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Hey all! Another new story because I love _Inuyasha_ and _Akatsuki no Yona_ so of course I had to make a crossover! Chapters will follow along with the story of the manga starting from the Awa arc in _Akatsuki no Yona_ and will be my spin on things if Kagome was magically transported to that world.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own _Inuyasha_ or _Akatsuki no Yona_. I want to make it clear that I in no way mean to plagiarize, especially Mizuho Kusanagi's _Akatsuki no Yona_ as I will be using the manga's actual plot as a base and integrating Kagome's character into it, adding new material.

* * *

"Wow! It's a fawn. Nice catch!" Yoon praised.

Everyone gathered around Jae-Ha and his kill in varying states of awe. Kagome looked at him then the fawn then back to him with a thoughtful expression.

"How did you manage to carry that and jump around at the same time?"

All eyes swung to Jae-Ha as everyone else became just as curious as Kagome.

Jae-Ha smiled genially. "With difficulty I assure you."

Yona's eyes widened with child-like wonder. "Jae-Ha's legs are really amazing."

"Well I made full use of this power when I was a boy… to fly all around Kouka," Jae-Ha said nostalgically.

Kija asked, "By the way, you ran away from the village of Ryokuryuu, right? Why?"

Kagome's ears perked at the question. She was interested in learning anything she could about the Four Dragons. For some reason she had a feeling that maybe they had something to do with why she was here. Honestly, she was at the point now where she could admit to herself that she was kind of a magnet for trouble of the particularly strange magical variety.

"Why?" Jae-Ha repeated rhetorically, "Would you consider it acceptable if both your hands and feet were bound by chains?"

Kagome gasped and Kija looked stricken.

"As an innocent, young, beautiful boy, I was tied up in chains. My milky white, supple body was exposed to the curious gazes of the adults, and I was blinded and assaulted within a cage day after day…" Jae-Ha sprung into a longwinded tale of his past.

Kija was horrified as he said, "Eh?! What?! I don't understand the village of Ryokuryuu!"

"Don't believe him so easily. There are probably some wild delusions thrown in there," Hak said dryly.

Jae-Ha just smiled that same good-natured smile that always struck Kagome as his own version of a mask, hiding away his true feelings.

He said easily, "That's generally the fate of the Ryokuryuu as soon as they're born."

Kagome's eyes hardened as they only ever did when she felt righteous anger on another's behalf. "That just makes it all the worse! I don't understand how humans can treat each other so cruelly!"

Everyone looked at her in surprise. The girl hardly ever had outbursts like this. In fact, Yona and Yoon were the only two that _had_ seen her react in such a way back when they were on that awful mercenary boat in Awa. Jae-Ha was the most surprised out of everyone. He wasn't really used to people caring one way or another about his welfare, and the experience gave him an oddly warm, tingly feeling. He shook off the strange feeling as Hak spoke up.

"Well, it's probably because of _that_ , isn't it? It would be hard for the Ryokuryuu to keep themselves from jumping around all the time," he said.

Kagome's eyes widened in comprehension. _That's… a good point_.

Jae-Ha looked away as he affirmed Hak's guess reluctantly. "Well… yes. That's true."

The tense atmosphere seemed to dissipate at his response, but Kagome still couldn't help but think that there were plenty of other ways to keep a gifted young boy out of trouble without resorting to _chains_. _Like simply locking him in a room should suffice. Lord knows they'd done just that to Inuyasha plenty of times on the night of the new moon or just when he was seriously injured and still insisted on searching for jewel shards._ Kagome shook her head sharply to dispel the wistful memories. Thinking about stuff like that would only make her depressed. She needed to focus on moving forward and finding a way back home.

"Since you're so quick, we'll be able to track down and find Ouryuu wherever they are," Yona said smiling.

Jae-Ha commented, "Hm. That's right; Ouryuu is the only one left. Since I've come this far, getting a look at Ouryuu's face might be worth it. I'll find him."

"No. Leave that task to me!" Kija stated with a look of fierce determination, anything to please Princess Yona.

Kagome locked eyes with Yona and rolled her eyes pulling a knowing smile from the girl. Once they got going, it could be hours before the dragons' competitive spirits died down again. The girls wondered over to where Yoon was already starting to prepare lunch.

Kagome offered, "I can do that, Yoon. I feel like I haven't been pulling my wait since I joined you guys."

Yoon and Yona looked at her surprised. "You know how to prepare deer?"

Kagome spoke truthfully, "Yeah… I used to travel with friends a lot when I was younger so I got used to hunting and cooking my own food. If you want, we can trade off on cooking so you don't have to do _every_ meal _every_ day. I'm definitely not as good as you, but I'm not bad. Plus I can always learn from helping you too!"

Yoon threw her a grateful look saying, "That… would be really helpful. Thanks, Kagome."

She smiled at him in return and took the knife from him to get started on skinning and gutting the fawn. She paused when she noticed how rigid and pale Yona had become.

Yoon asked, "Yona, are you fine with watching this part now?"

The princess nodded shakily. "It's still a little difficult, but if Kagome can handle it then I can too," she stated resolutely.

Kagome smiled at her sympathetically and said, "I know exactly how you feel. Trust me, it took me a _long_ time to get used to the idea and an even longer time before I was okay with doing it myself."

"When I was at the castle, I never thought about the living creatures that had their lives taken away," she admitted solemnly, "Averting my eyes would be ignoring that this guy was alive."

She clapped her hands together to say a small prayer in honor of the deer's sacrifice as Kagome went about the messy task. The sound of a grumbling stomach drew their gazes. A boy with beautiful, golden hair and terribly dirty clothing was suddenly sitting beside Yona with his hands similarly clasped together in prayer.

Mystery boy said smiling, "Well miss, that's splendid, but everything that lives… will return to Heaven someday."

He turned to her with a line of drool dripping down his chin. "You put your hands together and thanked him, so he will forgive you."

Kagome immediately went on the defensive. She couldn't believe she had been so lax that she hadn't even sensed the stranger coming! She didn't quite brandish the knife, now covered in dear innards, at him, but her body was tensed in a way that spoke of her readiness to fight if need be.

Yoon tactfully stated, "…You're drooling and your stomach is growling. Who are you?!"

The boy looked at them saying unconcernedly, "Oh, no need to be concerned. Just passing through. Drool always comes out."

Yoon gawked at him, understandably dumbfounded. "Wipe it off!"

"There was a tasty smell, so I came!" He stated cheerfully.

Kagome sweat-dropped as Yoon yelled, "It still smells like raw meat and blood!"

Yona kindly, but unnecessarily asked, "Are you hungry?"

"Unnaturally hungry!"

 _Well at least he was aware of it_. They quickly cooked the prepared meat with Kagome paying avid attention to every spice and technique that Yoon used, while completely ignoring the strange presence drooling off to the side.

"Ooh, it looks good," Hak commented.

Yoon replied, "Thanks. Kagome helped prepare the meat. You can eat as much as you want today. There's plenty."

Hak's eyes widened in mild surprise as he looked at Kagome curiously who smiled nervously at both Yoon's acknowledgement and Hak's gaze. It wasn't every day you met a girl who wasn't squeamish about dead animals and blood even outside of the castle.

"By the way… Who is that?" He finally asked about the proverbial 'elephant in the room.'

Yoon responded, "Oh… a wanderer? I don't know either. Since he looked hungry, I invited him."

"Anyway, do you know anything about Ouryuu, Kija? Where he might live or any special characteristics he might have?" Yoon asked in Kija's general direction.

Yona chimed in, "According to the country's founding legend, he's the one with the strong body, right?"

Yoon asked, "Is his body made of scales?"

"Or is he a sturdy man?" Hak questioned.

Kagome called to the three dragons that were oddly huddled together a little ways away, "Hey you guys! What are you doing? Come over here and eat before it gets cold!"

Kija said, "…What do you think…?"

Jae-Ha replied, "Hm… There's no mistake about it."

Yoon looked at them dubiously. "Huh? What's up?"

Jae-Ha began, "Well… How should I put it? It's about that boy there that's been eating meat… for a while now. We think… he's Ouryuu."

Everyone's eyes swung around to stare hard at the seemingly oblivious boy still chomping away on skewers of meat.

"Hm? You called?" Not so oblivious apparently…

The boy looked at the three dragons. "Oh! On closer inspection, there's Hakuryuu… Seiryuu… and even Ryokuryuu! This means that everyone is together now!" He bowed his head while still holding the skewers of meat in both hands.

The image would have been laughable had he not just dropped a figurative bomb on them.

"Ouryuu?! By Ouryuu, you mean _the_ Ouryuu?!"

"Why?! Why are you here?!"

"Why are you casually partaking of this meat feast?!"

Taking it all in stride, Ouryuu calmly replied, "You're all so restless. Zeno is properly sitting down and eating. Isn't Zeno a good boy? Oh, Zeno is my name."

Yoon gaped at him in irritation. "What's with that lazy self-introduction?!"

Kagome pinned the other three dragons with an astonished look. "I thought the Four Dragons could all sense each other!"

Right after she said this though, she realized that she should have noticed his unique dragon-y aura herself. Now that she was focusing on it, it occurred to her why she was able to overlook it so easily to begin with. His aura was _different_ from the others'. It was almost… subdued even though it emanated from the entirety of his being rather than a singular part. If she compared it to the other dragons' auras it was like burning embers versus a steady fire. _How odd._

Kija confessed, "I had a feeling Ouryuu was nearby, but he was so close I doubted my feeling…"

"Right?" Jae-Ha agreed good-humoredly, and then addressed the fourth dragon, "You didn't notice we were close by?"

Zeno blinked at him. "It's not about noticing or not noticing. Zeno is just leisurely travelling without a real care about the other dragons."

"You're just traveling at your leisure?" Kija questioned dubiously.

"Yep."

"Alone? What about your village?" Kija pressed.

"Left it a long time ago."

"Our master could have come to meet you, yet you wandered about aimlessly?!" Kija's eyes widened as he seemed to have some sort of epiphany, "Right! Your master… Don't you feel anything when you look at Lady Yona?!"

Zeno's brows furrowed in confusion. "Master?"

Kija gestured grandly in Yona's general direction, "This is Princess Yona! She is the master of the Four Dragons! Kneel before her!"

Yona sighed exasperatedly, "Kija, don't start that up again!"

"Princess… Master…" A faraway look clouded Zeno's sky blue eyes only to disappear in a matter of seconds. "Don't feel anything? Now that would be rude! She's super cute! Zeno's heart is pounding!"

Kija practically growled, " _That's_ not what I meant!"

Kagome sweat dropped. _This Zeno sure is quite the character!_ Kija, Jae-Ha, and even Shin-Ah somehow managed to look stunned despite his facial mask.

"It can't be… He didn't feel the initiation?!"

"The initiation that even had me thinking, 'boil me, take me, do whatever you want already'?!" Jae-Ha lamented in disbelief.

Hak voiced Kagome's thoughts exactly. "What kind of initiation is that?"

"Is he _that_ strong?"

"Or maybe he's just very simpleminded?"

The three dragons gawked at the fourth in equal parts amazement and skepticism.

"But if you left your village to leisurely travel alone like this… Asking you to join us may be difficult," Yona hesitated.

Zeno looked at her good-naturedly.

"We're looking for the dragons to ask them to lend us their power. If you…" She trailed off uncertainly.

"Okay."

"…HUH?!" Yona could only stare blankly as everyone gaped in shock.

Zeno bowed at the waist, "It's fine. Zeno is just travelling wherever Zeno wants. There's no particular destination and nothing to do! Above all, your food was super delicious! It's a precious hobby of Zeno's, to be grateful for food!"

Yoon glaringly stated, "That should be a principle."

Zeno went around shaking everyone's hands saying, "It's nice to meet you! Here's to more delicious food from tomorrow onward!"

Kija was mystified. "What the…? He wandered in and became our comrade the fastest."

Yoon pointed out, "Or maybe he was just _that_ starving…"

Hak couldn't resist provoking Kija. "He broke your record, White Snake."

Kija huffed, but didn't outwardly admit to his jealously, although he did grumble over Hak's use of that irritatingly degrading nickname. Kija was a noble and honorable dragon, not a slimy, slithering snake!

"Ouryuu Zeno. I am Hakuryuu Kija. I possess the power of the dragon within my right hand. If you are a dragon that protects the princess like us… show us your power," Kija commanded.

Zeno stared blankly, "Power? Ah, Zeno isn't very powerful, but… my body is sturdy!"

"Oh. So it was that after all," Kija commented surprised despite the answer matching his earlier suspicions.

"How sturdy are you?" This was the only warning given before Hak's hauled off and punched the living daylights out of Zeno.

Hak eagerly asked Zeno's shocked form on the ground, "Did that hurt you?"

Kagome gaped at the Thunder Beast in horror. She immediately went over to the fallen form of Zeno inspecting his rapidly swelling cheek with both practiced ease and frantic worry. Whirling on the former general, she furiously shouted, "What the heck is wrong with you, Hak?! He could have been seriously injured!"

Without waiting for a response, she turned to ask Zeno, "Are you okay?"

The yellow dragon's face clearly displayed his surprise at her earnest concern for his wellbeing, but his expression quickly morphed into an easygoing smile. "Don't miss, it's just as Zeno said. I am sturdier than I look."

Kagome looked at him unsurely, but let allowed him to get up as Kija rudely pointed exclaiming, "Your body is weak! You're just a regular person! Are you really Ouryuu?!"

Zeno pointed a flailing arm in at Hak accusingly. "No, no! He's just weird! The strength his arm has is not normal!"

"I'm often hit, too. By Hak's strong fists," Jae-Ha added in support of Zeno's statement.

Yoon said drolly, "You always look like you enjoy it for some reason."

Poking and prodding at Zeno, Yoon wondered aloud, "Your body isn't particularly tough. Your skin is squishy just like regular humans."

Zeno smiled replying, "Zeno's skin is smooth. It gets dirty sometimes though."

Yoon remarked, "The Thunder Beast's body is rock solid. I'd be convinced if he claimed he was Ouryuu."

Before she could stop herself, Kagome found herself giving Hak a onceover silently agreeing with Yoon only to blush in embarrassment when she realized what she was doing.

Hak sarcastically deadpanned, "I have kept quiet until now, but I am actually Ouryuu…"

Kija yelled heatedly, "If you were a dragon, you would be the evil Dark Dragon!"

An eerily satisfied smirk spread across Hak's face as he considered the idea. It was obvious to everyone present what he was thinking.

Kija turned on Zeno bellowing, "Aren't you mortified?! He is threatening your position! Remember your pride as a dragon!"

Zeno replied blandly, "You say that, but…"

"You neglected to train your body, didn't you? The Four Dragons must always keep their powers refined and sharp for the sake of their master," Kija reprimanded.

"Hold on," Jae-Ha interrupted, "Ouryuu has his own life to live. Pushing your values onto others isn't one of your good points!"

Kija flushed indignantly. "But―! The Four Dragons… The four brothers of ancient times have finally been gathered. For the first time since the time of the legend… We have met for the first time in thousands of years. It has finally been fulfilled in our time!" The white dragon's eyes started tearing up as he admitted softly, "I… The fact that I got to meet you all is… Really…"

"Okay, I get it. I get it," Jae-Ha assured hurriedly to prevent his fellow dragon from completely dissolving into a sobbing mess.

Yoon said almost offhandedly, "The dragons of legend are now together. That's amazing if you really think about it, but it feels a little too anti-climactic."

Kagome looked around as everyone seemed to be ruminating on Yoon's last comment, her eyes stopping on Zeno. He was looking at his fellow dragons with a smile that Kagome could only call nostalgic. It was heartbreakingly sweet and made her wonder just how someone so who appeared so young could have a smile like that. _Like he's experienced_ _more_ _. Pain. Heartache. Friendship. Love._ Kagome knew all of this well because she had experienced it too despite her young age.

* * *

When night had fallen and camp was set up, Yona and most of the others had already gone to rest for the night, but Kagome caught Yoon deep in thought by the campfire.

Making her presence known, she sat next to him asking, "Yoon, um… This might seem odd of me to ask now after so long, but what exactly is this legend that you and the others keep talking about?"

Yoon looked at her surprised to realize that they hadn't actually ever told Kagome about the prophecy. In a serious tone he answered, "'Darkness has befallen the land. The blood of the dragons will revive once more. The ancient pact will be kept when the Four Dragons are gathered. The sword and shield which will protect the King shall awaken, and the Red Dragon shall be restored from the dawn at last.'"

Kagome's brows furrowed in concentration as she considered the words with a growing sense of dread. In her experience, prophecies and legends never boded well. She hated the cryptic phrases and vague implications almost as much as Algebra. If the trials she had faced in the past were anything to go off of, they all had a rough road ahead of them…

* * *

 **A/N:** Hope you all enjoyed! I've kinda been obsessing with this manga/anime lately, so updates should be fairly often with this one. Depends on the feedback I get so review/favorite/follow if you want more!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Hey all! I'm SO sorry for not updating sooner! I totally just lost all motivation to write for a while there, but I've since regained it over winter break! Sooo, look forward to more chapters in the near future!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own _Inuyasha_ or _Akatsuki no Yona_. I want to make it clear that I in no way mean to plagiarize, especially Mizuho Kusanagi's _Akatsuki no Yona_ as I will be using the manga's actual plot as a base and integrating Kagome's character into it, adding new material.

* * *

"Good morning, Kagome! Yoon!" Yona greeted cheerily as she exited her tent.

Kagome smiled back pleasantly with a "Good morning, Yona!" but Yoon seemed as if he still hadn't quite shaken off whatever deep thoughts had plagued him the night before when he'd told her about the prophecy.

Yona didn't take the boy's silence personally though and noted lightly, "It's a little chilly this morning, huh? Oh! Are you cold, too, Shin-Ah?" She asked the huddled form of the blue dragon.

Kagome was a little surprised that the stoic dragon was so susceptible to the cold with the amount of layers he was wearing, not to mention the fur headpiece attached to his mask. Suddenly a golden-haired blur burst into the loose circle the group was sitting in, barreling headfirst into Shin-Ah and knocking him onto his side. Kagome struggled to hold back her amusement at the sight he made as he continued to stay in fetal position even after being knocked over.

"So Seiryuu is sensitive to the cold, huh?! You need to push up against the others when you're cold! If you cry you lose!" Zeno declared as he gave a full body shove against Shin-Ah unreservedly.

Shin-Ah staggered unsteadily for a moment then dashed toward the expectant Ouryuu. The collision sent both dragons tumbling across the forest floor.

"You two sure are noisy first thing in the morning," Kija stated as he joined the group and was quickly bowled over by the energetic Zeno.

Frazzled, Kija asked, "What are you doing…?!"

"It's a challenge to get nice and warm! If you cry, you lose!" Zeno informed merrily.

"Lose… you say? I accept!"

Kagome found herself surprised yet again. _Who knew that Kija could be so competitive when the competition doesn't involve Yona?_

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hakuryuu, you're not allowed to use your right hand!" Zeno shouted backing away with both hands waving in front of him defensively.

Jae-Ha suddenly appeared behind Yona and Kagome saying, "The young ones sure are energetic."

"It looks like fun," Yona confessed.

"Well then, shall I show you how adults play around to become warmer?" Jae-Ha offered suggestively.

Kagome and Hak, who literally came out of nowhere, simultaneously smacked Jae-Ha on the back of his head. Or more accurately, Kagome smacked the dragon while Hak's "smack" was probably closer to a punch.

"That felt like a real punch just now, Hak…" Jae-Ha commented with a masochistic grin on his face.

Zeno's terrified scream filled the clearing followed by a, "Stop it, Hakuryuu!"

Kagome could practically feel her nerves fraying. The morning had started out so peacefully and now…

"BE QUIET, YOU ANIMALS!" Yoon bellowed.

Everyone froze, turning wide eyes towards the furious boy. Kagome was completely caught off guard. Sure she'd seen nagging Yoon and bossy Yoon before, but angry Yoon was a new one.

Zeno dejectedly commented, "What a scary boy."

"And pay attention!" Yoon continued berating them.

"This self-proclaimed pretty boy has more right to speak than the rest of us. Remember if you want good food, do as he says," Hak pointed out.

Not paying any heed to Zeno's and Hak's side conversation, Yoon stated, "Our first goal has been reached. We've gathered the four dragons."

Everyone proceeded to clap at this accomplishment smiling cheerfully.

However, Yoon cut right through the moment saying, "Now… There's still one thing that's been on my mind. It's Ik-Soo's prophecy."

"Do you miss him that much?" Hak deadpanned teasingly.

The tick of annoyance surfaced on Yoon's head again as he answered quickly, "Not that!"

"According to the prophecy, once the Four Dragons are gathered the sword and the shield are supposed to awaken. I think the king it's referring to is most likely Yona. I thought something was supposed to happen once the dragons came together, but nothing special occurred. It just became noisier… Is it saying we need to go find a sword and a shield that Yona is supposed to use? And if the king it's referring to is actually King Soo-Won… We'll have to rethink what we should do."

Kija protested, "That man is a traitor who took the throne by force and expelled the Princess from the castle. He is not the true king. And even if Soo-Won is the "king" from the prophecy… If he uses the sword and shield to form military preparations in order to conduct country expansions, we four dragons will fight to correct that injustice."

"While that may be, at this rate, we'll just hit a dead end," Yoon point out, "We don't know where we ought to go!"

Kija agreed, "That is true. What are we going to do?"

"We're going to Ik-Soo to hear what he has to say about it," Yoon stated determinedly.

"You're just worried about that carefree priest, aren't you?" Hak taunted.

Yoon flushed, "No!"

Kagome perked up at the mention of a priest. She wasn't aware that there were others like her in this world… _Although, just because we have the same title doesn't mean we're actually the same. After all, this priest seems to have some form of foresight which I definitely do not have. What a help that would've been in the Feudal Era though!_

As the group headed to the northern mountains of the Wind Tribe, Kagome took the opportunity to get some of her questions answered.

"So I take it you and this priest, Ik-Soo, are close?" She asked curiously.

Yoon immediately looked defensive as he answered, "Yeah, but only because the old man can't take of himself at all!"

"Of course," Kagome remarked with a knowing smile.

Yona chimed in, "Hak and I first met Yoon while he was living with Ik-Soo. Yoon saved us after we were injured fleeing from Fire Tribe soldiers."

Yoon had a hand on his hip in the universal expression of irritation as he said, "The idiots somehow managed to fall off of a cliff. Lucky for them the trees below broke most of the fall."

Kagome's eyes widened the more they spoke. Sure she'd fallen from great heights before, but someone was always able to catch her before she actually hit the ground. She didn't even want to imagine what the alternative must feel like!

"You really are a kind person, aren't you, Yoon," Kagome commented rhetorically smiling at the blustering young man.

Cheeks reddening by the second, Yoon barked out, "Don't be ridiculous! I just did what anyone else would have done."

Kagome and Yona giggled at the self-proclaimed genius' awkwardness.

* * *

"We're here!" Yoon announced with more enthusiasm than he probably meant to let on, "It hasn't even been 3 months since we left, but it feels like we haven't been back in years."

Jae-Ha replied, "You said it as if you were going to pick up something you forgot like it was no big deal, so I was under the impression that it was close by."

"We have to be discrete, so we went the roundabout way," Yoon admitted.

Coming upon a dinky looking shack, Yoon called out, "Ik-Soo, we're back!"

At Yona's startled gasp and Yoon's shocked silence, Kagome stretched on her tip toes in an attempt to see over the tall backs of Hak, Kija and Jae-Ha to no avail.

Everyone rushed into the hut as Yoon knelt by a prone form on the ground. The place was a complete mess! Things broken and tossed around haphazardly.

"Ik-Soo! Ik-Soo, what happened?! Was it thieves?!" Yoon questioned frantically.

The priest stirred listlessly. "Huh? Yoon…"

"Ik-Soo! Hold on, I'll treat you now!"

"I was so hungry… that I knocked everything over."

Everyone sweat-dropped.

* * *

"Whew! I narrowly escaped death!" Ik-Soo remarked with an oblivious smile plastered on his bandaged face.

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT YOU STUPID PRIEST! HOW WILL YOU CARRY ON WITH NORMAL LIFE IF YOU'RE ON THE VERGE OF STARVING AND YOU SERIOUSLY HURT YOURSELF FROM FALLING DOWN?! YOU REALLY CAN'T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT ME HERE! YOU'RE TOO MUCH OF A PAIN! JUST GO BACK TO THE HEAVENS!" Yoon unloaded all of his pent up worry in such a way that had Kagome swearing she would never piss off the pretty boy.

Oddly enough the priest exclaimed in a sing-song voice, "Wah~ It's Yoon's angry voice."

Kagome sweat-dropped, too stunned to offer any help to Yona and Shin-Ah who were now attempting to clean up the place.

Jae-Ha teased, "You were crying and seemed so frantic, Yoon."

"I wasn't crying! And I wasn't frantic, either!"

"Lord Priest, please forgive us for suddenly visiting. It is an honor to finally meet you." Kagome and Kija bowed respectfully.

Ik-Soo bowed deeply in return. "No, no, the pleasure's all mine! Ah, it's become… so lively. It looks like the princess has gone through a lot of experiences, too."

Yoon interrupted, "Ik-Soo. The Four Dragons are assembled. What are the sword and the shield that protect the king? Is the "king" Yona? Or is it the current king, Soo-Won?"

A contemplative look overtook Ik-Soo's face, or what could be seen of it with his overgrown bangs. "It seems the sword and the shield meant to protect the king both need a little more time to appear. When the time comes… You'll definitely know."

"Hm… So the time isn't now, huh?" Yoon commented disappointingly. "Then what should we do? If we can't go out and look for the sword and the shield…"

Kija instantly stated, "I want to enhance my powers a little more."

Prompting Hak's interested, "Oh, you wanna go?"

"I can't guarantee you will live," Kija replied back haughtily.

Hak grinned predictably, "Ooh?"

"Say… Why are you all avoiding the real issue at hand?"

Everyone froze at the pointed question and its unexpected source. All eyes turned to the usually carefree, naïve yellow dragon.

"Miss, what did you want to gather the Four Dragons for?"

Yona tensed as suddenly all the pressure was on her. "Huh…?"

"You and that guy over there were kicked out of the castle, so it's understandable if you needed the power to fight. It was to survive. But now what? Are you going to run away forever?" Zeno persisted without letting up.

Kagome started toward Ouryuu unsurely, "Hey now… That's a bit harsh, don't you think?"

Zeno didn't even turn to acknowledge her, keeping his gaze focused on the princess.

"…No. I'm not planning on running away forever," Yona stated firmly despite her initial hesitation.

Zeno looked at her blankly in a way that could almost be perceived as cold. "No? Then are you thinking of overthrowing Soo-Won, who stole the title of the king, to take back Hiryuu Castle and the throne?"

Yona stiffened.

Yoon interjected, "Th-that's impossible! No matter how strong the dragons are, we can't attack the castle with this many people―"

"It's not whether we can or can't. It's whether we want to or not. Besides, if we four dragons use our powers seriously… It won't be impossible for us to take down one castle," Zeno confessed in an ominously serious tone only to immediately counter it with, "But Zeno doesn't have that kind of power anyway."

Everyone in the room sweat-dropped. Although, his light-hearted admittance did manage to ease any building tension.

Kija started in towards the yellow dragon threatening, "You―"

"The newbie is sorry! Sorry!" Zeno pleaded with his hands clapped together in a praying position. "Zeno wasn't suggesting we do that. It was just a simple question about what we're going to do."

Kagome wryly thought to herself that his intensity when speaking earlier suggested otherwise.

"It was Zeno's own decision to come along. Miss is free to think what she wants, too," he assured hastily. "More importantly, Zeno is hungry!"

Yoon sighed exasperatedly, "You are so restless. I guess I should make some food for now."

"Yay! Food!"

Turning away from Zeno's cheering, Kagome decided to go see if she couldn't scavenge for any wild herbs or fruit in the surrounding forest. On her way out though, she caught Hak staring at Yona with an expression that was hard to place. Yona's expression however was easy to evaluate. Kagome had no doubt that the princess was more affected by Zeno's words than the dragon intended. Or maybe that _was_ his intention… Kagome had the feeling that while the blue dragon used a literal mask and the green dragon used lechery to hide their true feelings and thoughts, the yellow dragon seemed to use unnatural cheeriness to achieve the similar results. Shaking her head, she left the hut.

* * *

Kagome wasn't the only one to come upon this realization however. With Yoon preparing dinner for everyone in the hut and Zeno drooling in anticipation beside him, the other three dragons plus Hak gathered just outside.

"He really took me by surprise. Zeno, I mean," Jae-Ha remarked off-handedly, "I thought he was just a boy with his head in the clouds. I never thought he would rip into Yona like that."

Kija assented, "Yes… He is an incomprehensible one indeed. It is not that I never thought about it. However, the day her father was killed was not too long ago. She is barely managing to protect herself as it is. That was such an intrusive question."

"It's not simply a matter of taking down her father's enemy," Jae-Ha started, "Even if he's a traitor to Yona, that's not necessarily the case for the rest of the country. She would need to silence the five generals who follow Soo-Won to retake the throne. Placing responsibility for the entire country upon the shoulders of a girl who is just 16-years old… would be too reckless."

They were all momentarily silent as they each pondered over their own thoughts.

Kija was the first to break it asking, "Hak, you were acquainted with the king, right? What kind of person is he?"

Hak was quiet for a beat before he walked away dismissively saying, "…Beats me."

"As usual, he will not say anything when it comes to Soo-Won," Kija stated both puzzled and mildly irked by the man's closed-lips over that specific topic.

"Haven't you noticed? When that name is brought up… his expression grows a little dim," Jae-Ha corrected.

"So he was someone he did not like very much?"

Jae-Ha shook his head, "It's not that. He was someone Hak really cared for."

* * *

Kagome calmly added some more freshly plucked herbs into a small pouch attached to her hip. That particular herb was useful in both cooking and healing, so she was sure Yoon would be happy with her findings. Besides that though, Kagome found that the methodical process of collecting herbs was both familiar and soothing. If she was being honest with herself, she had to admit that though Kaede's teachings about the various uses of herbs had originally been fraught with frustration and confusion, eventually she had proven to possess somewhat of an aptitude for the subject. It was one of the few things she could contribute to the quest after she put her mind to it. After all, one of her friends was always getting hurt in one fight or another and her supply of futuristic medicine only lasted so long when Inuyasha was so stubborn about letting her go back.

Sighing wearily, Kagome vowed to herself that she wouldn't think of the Feudal Era again for the rest of the night. Otherwise, there'd be no fending off the depression. She really hoped that a clue or some kind of sign would give her an idea of why she was transported here to this strange world and how or if she would ever be able to get back… to modern-day Japan or even to the Feudal Era. The sound of rushing water acted as a worthy distraction as Kagome steadily made her way towards it. But, just as she neared the edge of the woods, she was stopped by voices.

"I've been thinking…" the feminine pitch of Yona's voice reached Kagome's ears, "since the battle in Awa ended. There may still be towns like Awa in Kouka. So from this point on, I'll stand upon the ground and look out over the country of Kouka. I want to help people who are being crushed in situations of crisis. And… I'll never be able to do this from within the castle.

Kagome hid on instinct, her back pressed against the trunk of a tree. She had no reason to conceal her presence, but their conversation sounded serious… and personal. Deciding she definitely didn't want to eavesdrop on the rest of it no matter how curious she may be, she made to leave quietly. However, when she looked back to check that Yona and Ik-Soo were preoccupied she failed to notice someone else sneaking up beside her. A hand clamped over her mouth followed by a vice-like hold immobilizing her against a firm chest. Her scream of surprise and attempts to free herself were immediately halted upon hearing her would-be captor's whispered voice.

"Calm down, Kagome. It's just me," Hak's deep baritone quieted her, but didn't quell her irritation.

Whirling towards him, she whispered furiously, "What the hell do you think you're doing?! I could've seriously injured you just now! And why are we whispering?!"

His eyebrows rose mockingly at her confidence causing her to scowl back defiantly. An amused smirk spread across his face before it was chased away by Yona's and Ik-Soo's ongoing conversation. Despite her unwillingness to overhear, accidentally or otherwise, Kagome was silenced as well by Yona's next words.

"Ik-Soo, I think it's apparent to you so I'll say it. I… met Soo-Won in Awa."

Kagome resisted the urge to turn to look at Hak behind her as she felt him tense from where they were pressed together to remain hidden behind the tree. In another circumstance their position would have seemed intimate, but in this situation, Kagome just felt uncomfortable. Like she was _really_ intruding on a private moment. Although, Hak was the one who kept her there so really, he was the one to blame.

"I thought I resented him… I thought I couldn't forgive him… B-but… I couldn't pull out the sword," Yona's choked admission caused Kagome's heart to clench painfully.

This was the first real confirmation Kagome has gotten over the relationship between Princess Yona and the false king, Soo-Won. Kagome had been able to guess over their travels that Yona and the king had a bit of a complicated relationship that went beyond him killing her father, but now she could clearly see that whatever their relationship became after the tragedy at Hiryuu Castle, Yona still cared for him deeply. The only question Kagome had now was whether Hak's rigid form beside her was because of Yona's relationship with the current king or his own.

Ik-Soo's even tones filled the silent clearing, "No matter how foolish and incomprehensible it is, certainly there are sentiments that cannot be thrown away. Even if you try to stop your heart by cause of being unable to forgive yourself, there will be times when the heart starts running again much to your despair. King Hiryuu said it, too. 'I am human. Even if I am despised and betrayed by humans… I still love them.' That is why… I think people are endearing."

Kagome's eyes widened at Ik-Soo's words briefly before she glanced up to the ever stoic man beside her. Hak's carefully blank face hid much though. It was nearly impossible to tell what he was thinking. _Nearly_. Looking at him now, she found the answer to her own question. Kagome has felt the ache of jealousy before and she could tell that that was not what Hak was feeling. What he was feeling was worse, betrayal… from the one he thought was closest to him.

The subtle sound of stray leaves crunching and the rustling of fabric signaled Yona and Ik-Soo leaving causing Hak to pull Kagome back further into the shadows to ensure they wouldn't be discovered. The two stood like that silently, waiting for the sound of footsteps in the distance to fade. His arm had long dropped from her waist before Kagome spoke.

Without looking back at him, she hesitantly began, "…I don't know what exactly you and Yona have been through… and I don't know what your relationship is with the king, but I think that you… all of you were close and that you all cared for each other deeply in the past. And if I'm right about that, then I think… in my experience, feelings like that don't just go away. Whatever you're feeling right now, he's probably feeling the same way too."

At that, she finally peeked back at him to try and gauge his reaction, but he wasn't looking at her just… looking off into the distance. Suddenly his hand was on the small of her back, gently guiding her as he spoke for the first time since he pulled her behind the tree earlier.

"…We should go back," he said simply as he led her in the direction Yona and Ik-Soo had left in.

She studied him for a moment, before saying, "You're right. But I don't know how I feel about you herding me around like cattle."

There was a pause, then a smirk. "Just making sure you don't trip in the dark."

"I'm not some princess in need of saving," Kagome snarked while rolling her eyes.

Hak snorted. "No, you're not."

The priestess whirled around and glared at him with narrowed eyes, considering and eventually deciding against it as she stalked away. "Whatever," she huffed over her shoulder.

Staring at her quickly retreating form, he smiled fleetingly before following at a more leisurely pace.

* * *

The next morning, Kagome found herself waking at the crack of dawn. She looked around at the sleeping faces of everyone else and decided go outside so as not to disturb any of them. Her eyelids drifted closed and her chin lifted into the air as she took in a deep breath of the fresh air that almost reminded her of the Feudal Era. Here too, in this mysterious land, the air was more crisp and clean smelling than the polluted air of Tokyo.

"Ah, an early riser I see." The cheerful voice caused her to jump slightly. _I really need to meditate or something, being caught off guard so often…_

She turned to face the newcomer with a lopsided smile. "Good morning, Lord Priest."

"Please, Ik-Soo is fine," he assured the teen pleasantly.

She bowed her head in acknowledgment.

The two stood in companionable silence for a moment. Strangely, the man's presence didn't at all make Kagome uncomfortable despite how little she knew of him. Maybe it had something to do with him being a priest. She just automatically felt more at ease around those of her own "kind." Then again, Miroku was a priest and she wasn't nearly foolish enough to be at ease around him!

The priest interrupted her inner ramblings. "You have something you wish to ask me?"

It was stated like a question, but he already knew the answer. She turned wide eyes to him. Even though she knew that he had some kind of precognition, it was still a little unnerving when she was the one on the other end of his ability.

"I guess…" She hesitated. "I'm not sure you'd even know the answer…"

He waited patiently for her to continue.

"I don't know how much you can… _see_ , but in case you don't already know I'm not from here." She paused here to wait for his reaction, or anything other than the seemingly ever-present smile on his face. He just nodded.

"I'm from a city called Tokyo, which is in a country called Japan. Neither of which exist here, and oddly enough this isn't the first time that I've ended up somewhere that should be impossible. I mean time travel is one thing, but now it's like I've traveled into a whole other dimension! Which, I don't even know if that's a thing. Just when I thought traveling back 500 years into the past and fighting off demons hunting down magical jewel shards was the craziest thing that could happen, that stupid well takes me here! I mean, what the hell?! If this is Fate's way of trying to tell me something or whatever higher powers there are up there trying to punish me for some crime I committed in a past life… Oh wait! I _met_ my past life and she was a freaking saint! She healed injured people for free and protected the world from a super powerful magical jewel that turned people into crazy, bloodthirsty monsters! So I guess that means I'm being punished for being me, which brings me back to my point which is… I really don't know why this is all happening or what I'm doing here!" She panted heavily after her long-winded rant that had been emphasized liberally with wild hand gestures and arm motions.

"…Sorry, I um, ramble sometimes…" She blushed in embarrassment.

Ik-Soo looked at her sympathetically. "I am afraid, Miss Kagome, that I do not have the answers you seek," her face became crestfallen, "but it is my belief that you are on the right path. Regardless of whatever your true purpose is for coming to be here, Princess Yona, Hak, Yoon and the Four Dragons will need your strength for what is ahead."

Kagome nodded smiling faintly at the mention of the others. They couldn't replace her family in Tokyo or her friends in the Feudal Era, but they had already managed to carve out their own little space in Kagome's heart. She'd help them, in any way she can and maybe along the way, they'll be able to help her find her way back home.

* * *

 **A/N** **:** Hope you liked it! It was a little longer than the other ones since it's been so long since I last posted. As always, I love reading your comments/critiques so please review!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** I know it's shorter than the others, but it was a convenient place to stop! The next one will be longer, I promise! Enjoy!

 **Disclaimer:** _Inuyasha_ and _Akatsuki no Yona_ and their respective plot lines and characters are not mine!

* * *

 _Whoosh! Thwack!_

Yona grinned triumphantly at the satisfying sight of the arrow embedded in the makeshift target. She turned towards Kagome excitedly.

"I did it! That's my tenth one in a row!"

Kagome smiled proudly. "Of course! You do have an amazing teacher after all," she teased in exaggerated self-praise.

Yona smiled, "I really am glad to have you as my teacher, Kagome. You're definitely more patient with me than Hak would have been!"

"Hak strikes me as the type that enjoys riling people up. Harmless, but irritating at times, am I right?" Kagome asked knowingly.

Yona's answering laugh was confirmation enough.

Kagome placed a slender finger on her chin in a playful pose of deep thought. "I wonder if that's why Jae-Ha and Hak seem to get along so well…"

The green dragon himself dropped down from a veiled perch in the trees where he suspected Kagome knew he was hiding all along if the shrewd look she was giving him was any indication.

"Well, speak his name and the devil shall appear!" Kagome announced impishly.

Jae-Ha made a show of being wounded. "Kagome, my dear, how could you ever compare me with such evil? I'm sure I've committed no crimes worthy to warrant thus."

Kagome's brow rose archly as she fired back, "Oh really? What about that time I caught you trying to peek at Princess Yona changing clothes…"

"Eh?! When did that happen?!" Yona asked shocked.

"…Or that other time when you tried to switch my drink out with alcohol?"

Jae-Ha scratched the back of his head nervously with an uneasy smile.

"Shall I keep going? Or do you concede?" Kagome questioned with a sickly sweet smile.

Jae-Ha lifted both hands in a hasty surrender. He had no idea that the woman had such a devious side! "I concede, I concede!"

Kagome smiled all daisies and sunshine again. "Good! Now be a good dragon and don't interrupt our practice again."

Jae-Ha backed away readily to go sulk in the corner. Yona tried and failed to hide her laughter behind a dainty hand.

"Alright back to work!"

* * *

"Oomph!" Kagome and Yona collapsed on the grassy forest floor after the extended practice. It'd been awhile since their last session.

"Um, Kagome…" Yona hesitantly began, "I was wondering if maybe you would be willing to…"

Kagome looked at the princess curiously. "…Yes?" She prompted gently.

"…teach me how to use a sword!" Yona looked at her pleadingly.

The priestess' eyes widened in surprise. "O-oh! Well… as flattered as I am that you thought to ask me, I'm afraid I'm probably not the most qualified," she admitted bashfully.

Yona leaned towards her insistently. "But I saw you fight back in Awa! You knew how to handle a sword!"

Kagome let out a nervous sort of choked laugh. "Oh that? That wasn't anything special really. One of my friends trained me in basic swordplay. You should really try asking someone more experienced though… What about Hak?"

Yona visibly wilted. "Hak won't do it. He'll probably just tell me that proper princesses don't use swords."

Kagome smiled encouragingly, giving her a soft nudge. "You'll never know unless try. There's no harm in just asking, right?"

Yona considered it briefly, "Yeah, I guess so. I'll go ask him now!"

"That's the spirit!" Kagome cheered as Yona hurried out of the small clearing.

"Shame on you for giving her hope. You and I both know he won't do it."

Kagome's lips lifted in the barest hint of a smile. "And here I thought you'd left us."

Jae-Ha smiled, "Come now, Kagome. I'd be surprised if you didn't realize I was here all along."

She didn't deny his claim, but she didn't confirm it either. "Since you're so sure Hak will refuse her, shouldn't you be preparing your own refusal? I imagine she'll probably come to you next."

"Undoubtedly. But I'll wager she goes to Shin-Ah before me."

Kagome nodded. "True, he's the only one of us that uses an actual sword after all. Kija is out of the question for obvious reasons, besides that, he doesn't even use weapons while fighting."

"Hm, yes. The white dragon would be far too afraid of putting his master in any kind of danger."

"And Zeno, Yoon and the priest can't fight which leaves you and your daggers," Kagome stated dryly. "Tell me, what exactly is _your_ reason for not wanting to teach Yona the art of the sword?"

He looked at her with his trademark smile, which would have been charming if she wasn't already immune. "I don't believe that I ever said I wasn't going to teach her."

Kagome smiled back meaningfully, "…You know, one of these days someone's going to call you on all of your… half-truths."

"Oh, I hope that _someone_ does and that their methods are particularly… _punishing_ ," he remarked lasciviously.

All he managed to pull out of the nearly impervious young woman was a barely there smirk belying her otherwise unaffected façade, brief though it was, before her disposition became entirely that of indifference.

"I should go help Yoon prepare the morning meal," she stated brusquely before leaving the dragon to bask in his small victory.

* * *

Later that evening, Kagome was taking a walk in the woods again, thinking about what had happened the night before. _Yona's confession, Hak's silence. How will it all play out? And what's my role in all of this…? Or maybe I'm just making the wrong assumption and I'm really not meant to have any part in Yona's journey._ Movement in her peripheral vision broke her out of her musings. Her eyes widened.

"Yona!" Kagome's hand caught the princess' wrist effectively stopping the startled girl from accidentally injuring her friend. "What are you doing? Where did you get this dagger from?"

Yona immediately looked abashed and replied in a small voice, "I was just practicing."

"And the dagger?" Kagome's brow rose expectantly, though she suspected she already knew where the princess had gotten it from. Or rather, _whom_ the princess had gotten it from.

"…I'm borrowing it from Jae-Ha," she lied poorly while confirming Kagome's thoughts.

A tick of annoyance grew on the priestess' temple. That perverted dragon had really done it now! Letting out a sigh, Kagome was struck by a mixture of both exasperation and resignation.

"Alright, look. Since it's obvious that you're hell-bent on learning swordsmanship with or without a proper teacher, we might as well make sure you learn the right way."

A dazzling smile bloomed across Yona's face and she asked hopefully, "You'll teach me?"

"Only to prevent you from doing anything silly like trying to teach yourself in the pouring rain," Kagome chided half-teasingly.

The princess had the sense to blush in embarrassment.

"Now, come on. Let's get out of this rain!"

The two young women ran for the nearest cover they could find, a small outcropping of rock creating a makeshift shelter. They laughed breathlessly, leaning on each other to steady themselves.

Kagome looked over the princess in concern. "Are you okay, Yona? How long were you out there 'practicing' before I found you?"

Yona smiled shakily through chattering teeth saying, "N-not that long. I'm fine r-really!"

"You're shaking like a leaf! Hak would have my head if he saw you now! And Kija, Kija would be a frantic, worried mess!" Kagome exclaimed.

Yona giggled, "There's no helping Kija, but Hak would have _my_ head more likely."'

"Only because he cares about you," Kagome assured.

Yona smiled softly. "I know. I care about him, too. That's why I want to learn how to fight, so I can protect the ones I love. So I can be _their_ shield for once."

"Yona…" Kagome was surprised. She never would have imagined she could relate so well to a princess from a different world? "I know exactly how you feel."

"You do?" Yona asked timidly.

Kagome smiled. "Yeah, trust me. I've been the helpless one before. I've actually been kidnapped at least 3 times that I can think of off the top of my head."

"Eh?!" Yona's eyes grew comically wide at that.

"Anyway, my point is, you're not the 'damsel in distress' you seem to think you are. Maybe you were back when you were living in the castle; I wouldn't know, but I do know what you are now. You're brave and you're strong… and probably too stubborn for your own good. You can take down men twice your size with a bow and arrows, and I've seen you put the fear of God into evil, cruel men with nothing but a single look." Kagome said with conviction.

The princess' cheeks flushed and her eyes watered with emotion. "Kagome…"

Kagome pulled her into a hug. "That's why I've decided to help you in any way I can! Including swordplay if you really want," Kagome said wryly before shifting to hold Yona at arm's length, " _But_ , I won't be party to any of this clandestine, sneaking around business. If I help you, we have to okay it with Hak and the others first! Agreed?"

"Agreed!" Yona nodded happily.

"You have my permission, Princess."

The mischievous voice alarmed both of the young women, although only one of them actually vocalized their fright.

"Hak! How long have you been there?!" the princess asked bewildered and a little panicked before his words settled in. "Wait, are saying you'll teach me how to use a sword?!"

He smirked. "No, but I'll let that one," he jerked his chin in Kagome's direction, "do it."

Kagome rolled her eyes at him. "Why not just do it yourself?"

"You tell me."

The look he gave her was almost patronizing and it irritated the heck out of her. Not that she'd give him the satisfaction of reacting to it.

Gritting her teeth she addressed the princess but kept eye contact with the former General, "Actually Yona, it's better that I teach you instead of Hak. He'd probably make a crappy teacher anyway."

She cheered mentally as that wiped the cocky smirk off of his unjustifiably attractive face.

"Also, my style of fighting is much better suited for you since we're closer in size and strength. It focuses more on speed and using an opponent's strength against them," Kagome added on after.

Yona looked back and forth between the two warriors unsurely. They appeared to be locked in some sort of staring contest which neither of them seemed willing to lose anytime soon. Even on the way back to Ik-Soo's hut, the two had identically tensed shoulders and had reverted to obstinately ignoring the other. Well, maybe it was more accurate to say that Kagome was turned away from the former general pointedly, while Hak was merely being Hak. He walked with his usual lazy gait and laid-back air about him. Somehow that just seemed to annoy the priestess more though in Yona's opinion. She thought that everyone was really starting to get along…

Did she miss something?

* * *

 **A/N** **:** Thanks for reading! Feel free to review with any comments or concerns! Look forward to another update sometime next week!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N** : Got this one out sooner than I thought I would! Unfortunately, life will start getting really busy soon so fingers crossed I'll be able to continue updating this regularly! All of the reviews you guys give me are awesome motivators to keep going though! :D

 **Disclaimer** : The characters and plots of _Inuyasha_ and _Akatsuki no Yona_ are not mine!

* * *

Chapter 6

Kagome glanced around the impoverished village sadly. The sight wasn't new or shocking, though she almost wished it was. In Feudal Japan there were dozens of villages like this one, filled sparsely with only the elderly and the young. Disease and famine were as prevalent as the common cold and allergies are in Kagome's time. She wondered if all of the Fire Tribe was this barren and destitute.

"Why are you guys here?!" Yoon's agitated voice garnered her attention.

Yona spoke first, "You left so stealthily, I got worried."

Kija followed, "I accompanied the princess."

Zeno blurted, "Zeno came along with Seiryuu's fluff!"

Yoon stared at the yellow dragon burrowing into Shin-Ah's fur headpiece blankly.

"Go back!"

Hak declared, "Yoon, I'm hungry."

Jae-Ha urged, "Yoon, could you make some perilla porridge?"

He glared. "Go back right now, you good-for-nothing's!"

"This is really warm."

"Right?"

The tick on Yoon's temple grew as the Four Dragons and Hak snuggled together under the fur attached to Shin-Ah's mask.

"Are you listening to me, you beasts?!"

Kagome asked, "You're helping this village aren't you? We want to help you."

Yoon shouted, "You can't! You'll attract attention!"

"We'll do our best not to," Yona promised.

The pretty boy gave a deadpan stare. A red-haired princess, a former general, four beasts, and a female warrior…

"That's impossible! You attract attention just by being alive!"

Yoon sighed. "Look, this place has sick people and isn't safe. It isn't the kind of place a princess should come to."

Yona pinned him with a hard stare and said, "Yoon. It is because I am Kouka's princess and especially because I am King Il's daughter that this is a place I should come to. I want to know the effects of the things my father did."

Yoon was struck by her words, but nodded somewhat stiffly to acknowledge his acceptance of her conviction. He looked to everyone else in the group only to flush in embarrassment when he realized they were all smiling at him.

"I get it! Help me out," he ordered.

* * *

Kagome sucked in a sharp breath as she joined a shivering Yona washing dishes in a small stream of ice cold water.

Yoon glanced at them from where he was putting away dry dishes. "It's cold, right? You should go back if you don't like it."

"I-I'm fine. I can h-handle the cold," Yona said resolutely.

Kagome inquired, "Is this the village you were born in?"

"No, I've always traded with the people of this village, but… Lately, they haven't had anything to trade to even make a living. Now I give them medicine and food from time to time. I worried about them while I was out traveling, but I'm glad. They're all safe."

Yona smiled and replied, "You said the villagers were burdened, but you've saved them by doing this, Yoon."

"It's just consolation. The Fire Tribe is just a land of poverty. So even if you help one, another goes hungry. Even if you give them food for one day, there's none for tomorrow. There's no end. It has to be changed starting from the bottom. I know that, but… there's nothing I can do about it," Yoon confessed solemnly.

Kagome looked from Yoon to Yona. The princess was completely somber, but Kagome couldn't think of anything to say to make either one of them feel better. What Yoon said was the cold, hard truth.

* * *

"Hey! You guys!" Yoon called up to Hak and Jae-Ha who were in the process of repairing the roof of a villager's hut. "It'll be time to eat soon, so get down here!"

"I'm good. I caught a heap of fish at the river earlier and ate them," Hak said matter-of-factly.

Yoon's face was comically shocked looking. "Eh?! What's that?! If you caught a lot, you should have shared them with everyone!"

"My bad."

The genius, pretty boy shook his head exasperatedly before quickly catching sight of Kija carrying an enormous amount of firewood.

"Oh, Kija, food's ready."

"I, too, feasted upon the fish along with Hak. My stomach is full," Kija lied even while his stomach grumbled loudly.

Yoon stared. "...It's growling. It's growling hard."

Kija flushed and stuttered, "Th-th-th-this isn't the sound of my stomach! Thunder is rumbling somewhere…"

"It's coming from you, White Snake," Hak interjected from above while throwing the hammer he was using down into the pile of wood Kija was holding.

The wood went tumbling as Kija yelled, "Y-you rude man! What are you doing?!"

Jae-Ha made a choking sound as he tried to suppress his laughter.

"You haven't had enough training to stop the feeling of hunger!" Hak reproached.

"Training to stop the feeling of hunger, you say…?! What is that?!" Kija questioned utterly baffled.

Zeno jumped in coaching the white dragon into a strange half-squatting position. "You need to focus strength around your belly button."

"Like this…?" Kija asked doubtfully. A moment went by… "It hasn't stopped growling! Anyway, yours is growling, too, isn't it?!"

Jae-Ha lost his battle in the background, his boisterous laughter ringing out.

Kija glared at his fellow dragon. "You're laughing too much, Jae-Ha!"

"Geez! Nothing but idiots," Yoon muttered as he finally just turned and walked away from the lot of them. Spotting Yona and Kagome, he asked, "You'll both eat, right?"

"Oh, my stomach's also f―"

"Actually I'm really ful―"

Both girls were cut off by the sounds of their stomach's grumbling. They looked at each other, then looked at Yoon guiltily.

"Could you hear that?" the princess asked needlessly.

Yoon nodded. "Yep, I could."

The three of them broke out in hysterical laughter. Kagome was wiping tears from her eyes when someone interrupted.

"Excuse me. May I bother you for a minute?"

They all turned to look at the interlopers. Kagome's expression turned serious in a heartbeat. Some kind of Fire Tribe official she was willing to bet and several soldiers along with him… A combination that's never a good sign in her book.

"Where is the village chief?" He questioned brusquely.

Yoon answered hesitantly, "...The chief is over there," and pointed in the opposite direction of where the princess even as he and Kagome instinctively moved in front of her to block the officer's view.

As soon as the soldiers left, Yoon shouted for Yona and everyone to hide.

Hak asked, "What happened?"

"An officer came! And he brought soldiers! It's bad, so you guys absolutely cannot come out, okay?!"

"Officer?" Zeno repeated curiously.

Hak made to move forward. "Really? Let's see."

"Don't show your faces, you beasts!"

 _Crash!_

"You can't pay, you say? You want to go without paying the government again?"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" The village chief begged while bowing on the floor. "The rice crops this year didn't produce much, and we hardly have enough to eat for ourselves. Taxes on top of that are―"

"Hold your tongue!" The officer barked out while grinding the old man's face into the ground with the heel of his shoe. "If you can't pay, sell your children off."

"N-No, I couldn't!"

From the bushes where they were hiding, Kagome could actually _feel_ the murderous aura of the white dragon next to her. Not that she could blame him... Her own hand was already gripping the hilt of her _wakizashi_ starting to unsheathe it.

Yoon watched as Kija's claw began to enlarge dangerously and frantically attempted to talk him down. "C-calm down, Kija. If you come out with that hand, they'll take you away even if you don't do anything! Right, Yona?!"

He looked to the princess for support only to find that she was just as livid, already she was notching an arrow into her bow. Yoon's jaw dropped open and his eyes widened almost painfully. He hadn't seen the princess this bloodthirsty since Awa! "Y-Yona? You can't, okay? Because if they find you, it will be the worst, okay?!"

"Master Dol-Bal, there's food over here," a soldier called out after discovering the food Yoon had brought when they first arrived.

The officer smiled in a way that had Kagome's stomach churning. "See? You had some, didn't you?" He moved to inspect the small cart ordering, "It looks like you don't have rice, but this will do, right? Carry it out."

"Th-that's…" The village chief started desperately, and then thought better of it.

Yoon's fist tightened, holding in his rage. Kagome doubted she'd be able to hold her own anger in much longer.

"No!" A small child, a girl, shouted while yanking on the cloak of one of the soldiers emptying the cart. "Yoon brought those for us!"

The soldier looked at her coldly. "Move. You're in the way."

"No!" She yelled defiantly.

Kagome lurched forward, but Yoon's hand grabbed her wrist effectively stopping her... for the moment anyway. She bit her lip at the frantic look he was giving her. She understood where he was coming from. He was just looking out for them, but this just wasn't right.

"This is just the right amount, isn't it? Let's take that child, too. We can sell the child to make up for the insufficient tax," the official stated like he was commenting on the weather.

The child's father ran forward. "Please, have mercy! She's a child who knows nothing of this!"

A soldier pushed him to the ground and kicked him harshly in the stomach.

"FATHER! NO, LET GO!" The girl called out as another soldier held her arm in a bruising grip.

The officer mocked them, "If you don't want this, prepare some rice or money! Let's go."

She'd had enough. Kagome was just about to rush out there and beat the hell out of those thugs when someone else beat her to the punch.

"Gya!"

"S-something jumped…!"

"Who did that?!" The soldiers were in a panic as three of them were taken down in the blink of an eye.

"Here~. It was me." Jae-Ha raised his hand high in the air for everyone to see.

The officer glared at him and demanded, "Who are you? You aren't a part of this village, are you?"

"…Me? They call me… the 'Soaring Green Dragon.'" Jae-Ha struck a melodramatic pose that Kagome would have found hilarious if she wasn't feeling so enraged.

The soldiers turned to each other.

"Be careful!"

"He's a fool!"

Yoon yelled, "Wait…! Jae-Ha, I said you couldn't―"

"Yoon. I was going to stay quiet as long as they were just stealing stuff, but do you think I'll pardon an ugly group of people who use violence against a little girl?" Ryokuryuu interrupted him smoothly.

Yoon grit his teeth. "…You're not listening!"

"It's as I expected, Yoon… I'm a former pirate. It seems I'll clash with officers no matter where I go," Jae-Ha announced as he turned to face the remaining soldiers head-on.

"―Geez, guess we can't help it," Hak complained, like he was fooling anyone into believing that he didn't want to get involved to begin with.

Yoon whirled on him. "Huh?! Wait! You can't, Thunder Beast! They'll recognize your face…"

He stared, slack jawed at the sight Hak made. The former general had thrown on the fur from Shin-Ah's headpiece to cover his entire head and back. Yet again Kagome lamented her inability to laugh at something she'd normally find priceless under a different circumstance.

"An even stranger one has appeared!"

"Is he a demon?!"

"A mountain man?"

"Something is living on his head!"

The soldiers were once again sent into a confused frenzy. Oddly enough, it was the sight of Shin-Ah shivering in the corner with his now furless mask that finally set Kagome off, her shoulders shaking as she struggled not to burst out laughing.

"Oh me? They call me the 'Dark Dragon'…" Hak stated unbidden.

Yoon said dryly, "No, it's fine. You don't have to forcibly give your name."

"This is fine, right? I'm not showing my face, so they can't recognize me…"

"Ah! I recognize that long sword…" A nameless soldier called out in the background.

The Thunder Beast immediately disposed of his blade.

"He chucked it?!"

"What?! That man doesn't need to hold onto his sword…?!"

The villagers murmured among themselves, suddenly less afraid of the soldiers and more afraid of the newcomers.

"You…! You demons… You are frightening the villagers, aren't you?!" Hakuryuu accused as he entered the fray brandishing his gigantic dragon's claw.

"UWAAA! What's with his hand?!"

"A monster?!"

The villagers screamed in fear.

"Your hand is the funniest thing here," Jae-Ha lilted.

"I don't think 'funny' is the word I'd use…" Kagome remarked drolly and rested her hand meaningfully on the hilt of her wakizashi while throwing the soldiers an almost bored look. Her whole stance screamed 'no-nonsense.'

"A woman…?!"

"Doesn't she look young?"

"Look at her sword…!"

"A bow and arrows, too!"

The overall effect would've been intimidating if the soldiers could manage to get over the foreign sight of a woman so heavily armed.

Yoon cried hopelessly, "I can't take this anymore. Yona, even if it's just you, please hide…"

"We've attracted attention regardless, huh?" Yona mused.

"I told you…" Yoon whimpered.

"Anyway, if I attract attention just by living I might as well try standing out boldly, right?" She asked rhetorically for she was already rising to stand up.

"…What?" Yoon froze.

"You snot-nosed, good-for-nothing's! Are you aware that you are causing havoc in our territory?!" Yona's attempt at a stern voice captured everyone's attention.

"Another woman…? She sounds young, too…!"

"Your territory?"

"Are you bandits?!"

"That's right!" Yona confirmed. "The food over there, that child and these villagers' things all belong to us! If you understand, turn tail right now and don't come back! You brats!"

Hak made a muffled noise that sounded like a cross between a laugh and a cough.

Yona blushed faintly. "Don't laugh at me, Dark Dragon."

"…Excuse me," Hak said while trying to play off the rest of his chuckling as coughing.

Jae-Ha jovially addressed Yona, "May I ask you something? That tone of voice kind of sounded nostalgic…"

She smiled up at him. "It's my imitation of Captain Gi-Gan."

"They're a foolish group. Hurry and throw them out," the officer commanded fed up with all of the shenanigans.

"Yonaaa…" Yoon warned.

"Yoon, I'm sorry," the princess interrupted, "I've been prepared to fight for the people of Kouka for a long time. That being the case it can't be helped, can it?"

"Boss?" The Four Dragons, Hak, and Kagome awaited her go-ahead with virtually identical looks of mischief.

 _Bam!_

 _Pow!_

 _Crash!_

"Ngh!" Officers littered the ground, bruised and beaten soundly.

"Do… you people think… you'll get away with doing this?!" questioned one angrily.

Yona stepped forward purposefully and threatened, "You're the ones who should learn your lesson. Don't come near this village again. If something happens to this village next time, we… Uh…" She trailed off uncertainly.

"The Dark Dragon…" Hak started.

"…and the Happy Hungry Bunch!" Zeno added.

"…will make you pay for it!" Yona finished, deciding to just go with it.

Yoon couldn't think of a single thing to say.

* * *

 _wakizashi_ = A mid-short length sword. Smaller than a standard katana, but bigger than a tanto. Meant to be used as an accompanying weapon. In Kagome's case, it's used in place of her bow and arrows for fighting in close quarters.

 **A/N** : Thanks for reading! Hope you all enjoyed it!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Read and enjoy! :)

 **Disclaimer:** _The characters and plots and Inuyasha_ and _Akatsuki no Yona_ are not mine.

* * *

Chapter 7

"You, officers over there! Stop right there!"

Said officers stopped in their tracks and looked up at the mountain cliffs in surprise. Eight silhouettes towered over them.

"Who are you?!" they asked bewildered.

Yona with her face hidden under the hood of her cloak declared, "This land has become our territory! Hand over all your money if ya value your lives!"

The officers murmured amongst themselves.

"Bandits? I have an odd feeling about them…"

"They don't seem to be big in number."

"Hey, we should do away with them quickly."

"Well spoken, scum! Keep your eyes peeled and look carefully!" Yona shouted, "We are the fierce Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch!"

* * *

 _Three days ago._

After chasing out the Fire Tribe officials from Katan village under the guise of being bandits, they all decided that pretending to be bandits was actually the most suited to achieving their goals. Well… everyone minus Yoon that is.

"Well, I wonder if it'll be fine…" Yona pondered with a finger propped against her chin thoughtfully, "to become a bandit just once in my life."

"Yona dear," Jae-Ha chimed in, "didn't you give out our bandit group name just a moment ago?"

Her lips formed an 'o' shape. "Oh, that's right. Then there's nothing we can do now," she stated with a flippant air.

Yoon gawked in disbelief. "What's with that casualness as if you're just changing jobs?!"

"There's no getting around it. I've already given them our name," Yona insisted casually.

Yoon gaped at her. "What idiotic things are you saying?! We have to hurry and run away! They said they would definitely come again! Next time they'll bring a horde of soldiers with them!"

The princess asked calmly, "There are many villages like this in the Fire Tribe, right?"

"…That's right," Yoon replied reluctantly.

"And everywhere is impoverished and has heavy taxes?"

"…Yes."

"Then we will become the unruly bandits… and expand our territory. If we do that, we'll be able to protect the people who have had heavy taxes unjustly levied upon them."

"The problem isn't that simple! If they fall behind in collections, even stricter taxes will be levied! In addition to that, if we don't manage to pull this off correctly, the soldiers from Saika Castle will make their move!" Yoon plead desperate for her to see reason.

"They can come anytime. If they desert impoverished children and the sick in order to protect themselves from danger… they have their priorities backwards," Yona stated resolutely. "Besides, I don't think I'll lose to them… as long as everyone's here."

She smiled around at everyone else garnering answering smiles of confidence and confirmation.

"But…!" He began to protest.

"Yoon," Yona interrupted. "Surely you should understand, Yoon. You know best how to efficiently strategize to make the officers feel pressured."

Yoon looked down in a mixture of irritation and resignation. He knew he was defeated because to refute her statement was to insult his self-proclaimed genius.

"Well then," Zeno jumped in cheerily, "now that it's settled… Let's start the revolt of 'The Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch'!"

"First of all, that name won't intimidate them at all!" Yoon yelled, already taking his job seriously despite his reluctance.

* * *

 _Present time in a Fire Tribe village._

"Wh-what do you want?! Who are you people?!" The villagers stuttered frightfully.

Yona had an unexpectedly menacing smile on her face as she answered, "From now on, the villages in this area are the territory of The Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch! I'm thinking we should greet you all for a bit. If ya don't wanna die, do as we say!"

"Hu-hungry…?"

"There's nothing in this village for you to take…"

"Huh?!" Hak swung a cheap axe they'd picked up along the way at the scared villagers to play off the role of them being bandits. It's not like he'd actually hurt any of them of course.

Kagome, for her part, had an arrow notched in her bow like she was ready to fire at any of them at any given moment while glaring in a threatening manner that seemed to be working quite well.

"If ya don't wanna get hurt, put these away in a chest!" Yona commanded gesturing to the goods they had just pilfered from the officers a little while ago.

"A-aren't these the taxes the officers took before…?" an old man questioned Yona confused.

The other villagers were just as puzzled. "What…? They're good bandits?"

"Also, bring out every last kid in this village!" Yona shouted.

"W-what do you want with our children?!"

"Here's some candy! We'll get rid of anyone who doesn't accept it!" The princess handed out sweets to all the kids even while her own hunger was readily heard in the form of her stomach growling.

"Are they good people or not?" The villagers wondered feeling even more baffled.

* * *

"Yoon, which village will we go to next?" Kija asked Yoon after they'd finished returning all of the food to the villagers.

The pretty boy considered, "Let's see. At this time, officers are supposed to go to Shuu village, too."

"Is that far?" Hak questioned.

"Yeah, a little," Yoon admitted. Then he asked for everyone else's input. "What should we do? Officers might come to Katan village again, too."

"Then, I'll go guard Katan village at once," Jae-Ha offered.

Yoon looked at him gratefully. "Oh, that would be a big help. Yona will wait here."

"Huh?" Yona glanced up from playing with Shin-Ah's pet squirrel, Ao. "Why? I want to go, too―"

"The next place is far, and we don't know for sure if officers will come either. As for our fighting force, the Thunder Beast and…" he paused as clearly considering pros and cons. "Right, if Kija is there as well, it'll be fine."

Ouryuu chimed in, "Then Zeno will hold down the fort with the Miss!"

Kija grabbed his fellow dragon's shoulder with his claw. "Don't you just run around in the middle of battle? This time I will teach you the ways of fighting like one of the Four Dragons. _Come._ "

"Eh?!" Zeno whined childishly.

"Shin-Ah, we're entrusting the princess to you," Kija said succinctly, from one dragon to another.

Kagome glared playfully. "Hey, what am I? Chopped liver?"

"You are a beautiful flower―" Jae-Ha started.

"I wasn't asking you!" the priestess silenced him efficiently by driving her fist into his skull.

* * *

Kagome, Yona and Shin-Ah sat on the rocky ground with their backs leaning up against the wall of a villager's hut.

"Can't be helped, I guess," Yona commented with a heavy sigh. "It was out of my control."

Kagome didn't think the statement needed a response, plus she was kind of zoning out thinking about other things. Shin-Ah was too distracted playing with Ao to notice Yona had even spoken.

Yona glanced at her two silent friends slightly put out. Suddenly her eyes brightened as an idea struck her. Biting her lip lightly, she calculated which would be easier to reach… Shin-Ah's sword on his back or Kagome's sword on her hip… Definitely Shin-Ah's. Mind made up, the princess tried to sneakily reach around the oblivious dragon's shoulders with a stealth she didn't actually possess…

Shin-Ah leapt out of her range easily. Kagome lips quirked in amusement.

"Please, Shin-Ah! Lend me your sword! I want to practice," Yona pleaded with her best puppy dog eyes.

Shin-Ah shook his head vehemently.

The puppy dog eyes swung towards Kagome next. Luckily for Kagome, she'd long since built a strong resistance to such things, courtesy of one mischievous fox kit. She merely smiled back at Yona unfazed, feigning ignorance until the princess was forced to express herself verbally.

Yona pouted. "Kagome! You promised you'd teach me, didn't you?"

"Did I? I don't seem to recall…" Kagome teased.

Yona glared impressively.

Kagome laughed and raised both hands in the common gesture of 'giving up'. "Alright, alright! But we're taking this slowly and being extra careful, otherwise I'll probably end up being dragon food! For today, you'll just observe," she said with a stern look.

"But―" Yona immediately made to protest.

Kagome's brow rose in challenge. "Of course, if you'd prefer a different teacher…"

Yona's shoulders slumped and she frowned slightly, resigned. "Fine…"

Kagome smiled gently at the princess and then turned to address Seiryuu. "Shin-Ah?"

The silent dragon looked at her in a way that somehow managed to convey his surprise despite his face being covered by a mask.

Kagome bit back an amused smile. "Would you like to help me? I need a sparring partner."

"…" Shin-Ah hesitated.

Kagome rolled her eyes and said assuredly, "Don't worry, you won't hurt me."

Shin-Ah seemed to be considering it, and then gracefully he rose to his feet and stood across from her. His sword made a soft "shhh" noise as it was released from its sheath. Kagome smiled and mirrored his movements, unsheathing her sword from her waist. They both fell into defensive positions for just long enough to make Yona feel the stirrings of impatience.

Kagome rushed first performing a spin that probably would have thrown Yona off balance had she attempted the like.

 _Clang!_

Steel met steel as Shin-Ah parried her diagonal, downward strike effortlessly. However, Kagome had planned for such, and fluidly transitioned into a crouch to slash at his vulnerable legs. Shin-Ah barely managed to jump back in time.

Kagome smirked. "You better not be going easy on me, Shin-Ah!"

Yona's eyes widened as Shin-Ah actually… smiled in the vaguest sense of the word and nodded his head minutely.

The warrior priestess waited for him to regain his bearings only to let out a surprised, but delighted laugh when he made the first move. He lunged with a speed that would have overwhelmed Kagome if she hadn't spent the better part of her adolescence battling full-fledged demons. She avoided his thrust with a well-timed side step, but instead of continuing passed her, he stopped himself almost instantly in an amazing show of dexterity. He whirled around to slash neck height at her form that was now behind him, and she only just managed to bring her sword up to block it. And if it wasn't for his reaching behind himself, a deadlock like that would have had Kagome at a serious disadvantage even with both hands on the hilt of her sword.

She pushed back briefly with an extra boost of strength to give herself the second she needed to elegantly backflip out of his range. Without missing a beat, he rushed her again dealing a series of strikes, slashes and thrusts in quick succession that Kagome was hard-pressed to fend off. Leaping, spinning and dodging to evade his powerful attacks, Kagome steadily began to tire until finally he caught her. Disarmed with his sword held precariously close to her exposed neck, she raised both hands in defeat. She smiled breathlessly, adrenaline pumping through her veins and Shin-Ah lowered his sword. Despite losing the impromptu spar, the visible brightening of the dragon's aura made Kagome feel as if she had actually won something much more valuable and less easily secured. The fighters bowed to each other respectfully as Yona clapped exuberantly on the sidelines.

"That was amazing!" Yona exclaimed in starry-eyed awe.

"With your motivation, you'll be able to do the same soon enough," Kagome promised confidently. Turning to the blue dragon, she said appreciatively, "Thank you for sparring with me, Shin-Ah."

He nodded, his heart still hammering away in his chest. A moment of silence stretched for a minute while Kagome busied herself with retrieving her sword which had been flung a ways away. It was Yona who tentatively broke it, catching those present off guard.

"…Shin-Ah, why did you start learning the sword when you already have the power of the dragon eyes?"

He twitched. Shaking off her surprise, Kagome walked over to sit down next to Yona, interested in hearing his reply as well.

Yona smiled sympathetically. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"…The one…" He started slowly, "The one who taught me swordsmanship… told me I must not use the power of the eyes."

"Why?" Yona prompted.

He looked down. "Because they're a double-edged sword."

Kagome frowned and Yona asked, "…Is that because they hurt you, too?"

He stayed silent.

"What on earth kind of powers are yours, Shin-Ah?"

Kagome watched as his whole body went rigid and her eyes widened when his aura began to fluctuate erratically. A second later, his knees buckled and he collapsed. Kagome started, but stopped at the last minute when the princess reached him first.

Yona steadied him, letting him lean into her with her hands cradling his head gently. "Shin-Ah."

"Shin-Ah," she repeated.

She gradually lifted his head to look at him face-to-face and rested her forehead against his.

"Sorry, Shin-Ah. I… won't ask again," she promised solemnly.

Carefully, she started to lift his mask off, but he turned away from her promptly using one hand to secure it back on.

She looked at him sadly. "You can't remove your mask…? You don't have to use your power. It's just… I want to look you in the eyes when we talk."

He made no move to remove it. His aura bucked and contracted irregularly.

"May I?" Kagome cut in humbly.

Yona smiled somewhat dejectedly and nodded moving to the side to make room for her. Kagome kneeled in front of Shin-Ah graciously and looked him squarely in the eyes, or where she assumed his eyes were.

"Shin-Ah. Do you remember our conversation from that time? You promised me that you would let me help you understand how your power works. Let me help you now…?" She urged lightly.

He wavered, not one to go back on his word. Suddenly, he was regretting making her such a promise. His hands clenched and unclenched as nervous energy coursed through him.

"You know it won't hurt me," she said simply, making sure not to break eye contact.

Apparently that was the reassurance he needed. Yona let out a breath when he finally nodded his consent. Cautiously he lifted the mask from his face to reveal his closed eyes. Kagome let out a soft huff of amusement at that. She grabbed his face in her hands insistently.

"Shin-Ah…" She trailed off in a lighthearted warning tone, not unlike a mother chiding her child.

Slowly, slowly he opened his eyes.

Liquid gold.

Yona gasped softly… which caused him to immediately shut them tightly again. Kagome rolled her eyes exasperatedly.

Yona leaned forward. "Shin-Ah, it's okay really! We're both fine!"

It was too much, though. That was all Seiryuu could handle for now. The two girls watched as he put his mask back on resolutely.

The princess quirked a smile resigned to give up for the time being. "It'll be fine someday. Let me see your smiling face at least, okay? Lift the edges of your mouth and perk up a smile." She demonstrated by pointing to her own bright smile. "I'm sure it will be lovely."

"…" He had no comment to give.

"The Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch…" began a young boy as he jumped in between the girls and Shin-Ah, "…'s Boss Lady!" he finished looking in Yona's direction.

"…W-what's up?" Yona asked uncertainly.

The kid looked at her in full-blown cute mode. "Give me some candy."

Kagome's lips twitched. _This kid has some guts… He'd give Shippo a run for his money._

Yona faltered, "I… don't have any more. I gave it all away to everyone." She stood up suddenly saying, "Hold on. I'll shoot a bird down for ya."

Kagome followed after them to watch. It was her duty as the girl's teacher to note the progress that'd been made thus far after all.

After they all left, Shin-Ah turned to Ao thoughtfully. "She said… smiling face?"

He looked at the squirrel again, studying. He used two index fingers to force the ends of his mouth up in an ill-fated attempt at replicating the cherubic 'smile' of the tiny animal. Suddenly, he was jarred from both sides by two rowdy children. They grabbed onto the horns on his mask shouting about "The Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch" and how they should defeat the so-called 'bandits'. Shin-Ah instinctively used both hands to keep the mask in place, but the boys used the opening to steal his sword and take off it a different direction with surprising agility and craftiness. While Shin-Ah realized that a sword wasn't exactly a toy for children to play with, he figured that they both looked old enough to be aware of the weapon's potential danger and exercise a certain amount of caution. He'd track them down eventually after they'd had their bit of fun… or at least that's what he thought as he roamed the maze of degraded huts clustered within the village.

* * *

"That bandit was weak," commented one boy after they managed to lose Shin-Ah.

The other boy laughed. "Right?"

"Yo, boys," interrupted a gruff male voice, "We want all the alcohol and meat this village has. Also women. Go grab your parents."

The boys looked at the towering figures of the men, then each other, and faced them again brandishing the stolen sword.

"The Hungry ones have appeared again!"

"Destroy 'em!"

* * *

"Nope…" Yona lamented while searching the empty skies fruitlessly. "There aren't any birds…"

"Boss Lady, I'm hungry," the boy complained.

She turned to him anxiously. "Hold on, I'll find one."

The princess looked to Kagome wide eyed, like her friend would somehow magically procure food out of thin air. Kagome gave her a weak smile and a shrug of her shoulders.

Yona's shoulders slumped as she looked away and commented, "Hak and the others are late."

"They're probably on their wa―" Kagome's assurance was cut short.

"KYAAAA!"

Yona and Kagome looked at each other sharply as if to confirm that the other heard the scream as well and they weren't losing their minds, and then they both raced to the direction of the noise. Slightly out of breath, Yona broke out in a cold sweat at the sight that greeted them. Her hand came up to cover her mouth as she let out a muffled gasp. Kagome caught the princess' arm in a strong grip and pulled her behind the protective cover of a villager's hut. Kagome peeked her head around the corner of the building and watched horrified as a woman cried brokenly over the unmoving, bleeding body of a young boy.

"Tae-Siki! Tae-Siki!" she sobbed.

"Hey, hey, 's not our fault," said a man with a long, horizontal scar across bridge of his nose. "That kid pointed a sword at us a minute ago."

Kagome's fingers curled into fists as her whole body began to tremble in barely contained rage. Beside her, back pressed to the wall for support, Yona was frozen in fear. Her eyes were unblinking as she listened with mounting revulsion to the turmoil behind her.

"B-boss Lady… This village is the territory of The Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch, right? Defeat those guys. Just like you defeated the officers!" The boy from before had followed them without Kagome or Yona realizing it.

Kagome quickly motioned for the kid to be quiet and was about to tell him to run and find a safe place to hid, but she got distracted by one of the cruel men speaking.

"Well, whatever. Round up all the alcohol and meat in this village. If ya go against us, you'll end up just like that kid," the man ordered the villagers around arrogantly while wielding a sword that looked an awful lot like Shin-Ah's.

Kagome looked back at Yona and the princess was shocked by the hard glint in the priestess' eyes. "Yona… it sounds like these are _real_ bandits. I don't know where Shin-Ah is, but I can't let them harm anyone else." The princess didn't appear as if she was processing anything the older girl was saying.

"Yona!" Kagome said sharply, breaking Yona out of her shocked state. She gently pushed the boy into Yona's arms saying, "Take him and find Shin-Ah!"

Yona nodded shakily then looked at her worriedly. "What about y―"

"Go!" Kagome bit out more urgently.

Finally, Yona listened and rushed off in the opposite direction taking the boy with her. Looking around for an idea, Kagome was struck with inspiration at the sight of a low wall leading up to a hut's roof nearby. She jumped up catching the edge of the wall with both hands and pulled herself up easily. From there she made the small leap onto the roof deftly and crouched down to observe the bandits below. Her eyes narrowed. _12 of them… Too many for me to handle alone... My only chance is to distract them long enough for Shin-Ah to get here._

Decided, she stood purposefully and fired a single arrow at a man with a scarred nose, the one she saw murder the innocent young boy. The arrow sliced the skin of his cheek in warning before embedding itself in the ground. No matter how evil the opponent, she couldn't bring herself to kill a foe with their backs turned. Predictably, the bandits whirled around searching for who had attacked them.

"That hurt! Dammit, who did that?! I'll kill 'em!" Scar-face swore furiously.

She called their attention to herself by shouting, "Leave this village now if you value your lives! I promise my next arrow won't miss its mark!"

The bandits looked up at her in shock that quickly morphed into ignorant humor. They chuckled amongst themselves, jeering at her.

"It's a woman."

"Look, she's so cute with her bow and arrows."

"Why don't you come on down, sweetheart, and we'll show you how to really use th―"

 _Whoosh!_

The man fell to the floor dead, an arrow protruding from the upper left portion of his chest. Kagome steeled her herself, her mouth set in a line of grim conviction. As much as she hated it, she knew she didn't have the luxury of mercy while she was still so outnumbered. The bandits turned wide eyes to each other completely stunned. _Whoosh!_ Another bandit collapsed with an identically fatal wound. That snapped them out of it. Angrily, they rushed at her yelling.

"You fucking bitch!"

"We'll kill you!"

 _Whoosh!_

Another bandit dropped to his knees with one hand clutching an arrow his side, blood seeping out around it at a rate Kagome knew would most likely leave him dead in minutes. She strung another arrow in her bow, but before she could fire it a hand wrapped around her ankle in an iron grip and yanked viciously. She grunted as she fell, taking the man down with her. They hit the hard-packed earth hard. She lost her grip on her bow and her arrows spilled out of her quiver at the jarring impact. There was a brief moment of frantic struggling before she managed to kick him off of her and lithely rolled to her feet unsheathing her sword. Two more men converged on her without pause. She sliced through the flesh of one's abdomen with a upward slash, not deep enough to kill if adequate pressure was applied but enough to ensure he was down for the count. The other bandit stepped back just in time to avoid her sword's following sideswipe that would have been powerful enough to bathe the ground with his entrails had it connected cleanly.

Before she could rush the guy again while he was still unbalanced, the bandit who pulled her off of the roof had since regained his bearings and managed to sneak up behind her locking both of her arms with his. His broad shoulders allowed him to effortlessly bend both arms at the elbow and interlock his fingers behind her head taking away any opportunity for her to head-butt him in retaliation. His height left her much shorter legs dangling helplessly. Regardless, she still kicked the next man that tried to approach savagely in the stomach, but all that earned her was an equally punishing punch to the gut that left her coughing painfully. The remaining bandits gathered around her taking turns beating her.

When he deemed her sufficiently weakened, the man holding her captive released her laughing callously as she collapsed to the ground. She spat out the blood that pooled in her mouth and attempted to lift herself up, to fight off the darkness creeping into the edges of her vision. It was a losing battle though…

* * *

The bandits loomed over her unconscious form.

"Uh-oh, we were too violent with her."

"Did we kill her?"

A man prodded her with the handle of his axe. "Nah, she's still alive."

A different man nudged her head with the toe of his shoe so her face was upturned. "Well, isn't she better looking than expected? I thought she was just a brazen woman."

"She'll be good. There's nothing but old ladies here," agreed another with a smirk.

The men sniggered amongst themselves.

"Get the alcohol!"

* * *

 **A/N:** Action and a cliffy! I try not to, but I just couldn't help myself this time. ;) Hope you all liked it!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Whew! Somehow managed to get this baby out even though my life has officially become the definition of chaos! Seriously, no promises on timely updates in the near future! I'm sorry! I hope you'll forgive me!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own _Inuyasha_ 's nor _Akatsuki no Yona_ 's characters or plot lines!

* * *

Chapter 8

"Shin-Ah! Shin-Ah!" Yona shouted desperately, looking in every direction for a glimpse of white fur and dark clothing.

She jumped when he appeared in front of her seemingly out of nowhere. He stared at her searching for any signs of injury.

She latched onto his sleeve earnestly. "Shin-Ah! You have to hurry! Kagome's in danger!"

What was visible of his face showed his surprise as his mouth opened slightly in the general shape of an "o".

"Where?" He asked concisely with worry edging into his tone.

Yona pointed in the direction she and the boy had come from knowing that Shin-Ah could make it there faster without her slowing him down. He took off speedily without another word. Her feet hurried after his retreating figure concernedly, fear gripping her heart. _Please be okay, Kagome…_

* * *

"Just take their food!" One of the bandits commanded. He had Kagome's lifeless body slung over his shoulder. "It'll be a pain in the ass if officers arrive. Make it quick!"

Shin-Ah froze. With his enhanced sight he could clearly make out the bruises and blood marring Kagome's pale skin. Pure rage threatened to consume him. There weren't many people he cared about and fewer still that cared about him, but that girl… the one who was able to look into his eyes harmlessly… without judgements or expectations… She was one of those few. He rushed headlong into the bandits taking one down with a single bare hand as effortlessly as one can push over a piece of cardboard.

The bandits looked at him in panicked confusion.

"W-what's goin' on?"

"Who's the masked man?"

"Bastard!" Another bandit yelled as he lifted his sword up to deal Seiryuu a killing blow.

Shin-Ah spun and socked him in the gut.

"Kagome… That person… Give her back!" Shin-Ah demanded furiously.

"Is he a friend of this girl?" Scar-face asked his fellow bandit, the one toting around Kagome.

"Your opponent's unarmed. Kill him fast," the bandit ordered as answer.

The other bandits crowded the blue dragon, brandishing their weapons at him intimidatingly. He defended himself kicking, punching and elbowing anyone who came close.

Scar-face said nervously, "Hey, he's tough."

The bandit who must be the real leader laughingly replied, "This girl was pretty spirited, too. He may be skilled, but since he's unarmed it's only a matter of time."

They watched Shin-Ah fight off several men at once for longer than anticipated, but sure enough… Shin-Ah staggered as a stray blade made it passed his guard and into his side.

He fell to the ground clutching his wound with one hand just as Yona raced into the scene winded and frantic. She gasped when she spotted him.

"Shin-Ah!" She called out to him terror-stricken.

The bandits looked at her with interest.

The leader remarked, "So there was another pretty one here after all. Take her, too."

She glared at them rebelliously notching an arrow in her bow and aiming it threateningly. "Stay back! I mean it!"

They laughed at her mockingly. A couple of bandits advanced on her and she was obviously no match for all of them, but she fired anyway. She managed to clip the arm of one and injure the leg of another before they reached her and she was hauled up and over one's shoulder kicking and screaming.

"Shin-Ah! Shin-Ah! Let me go!"

"Stop your yelling, it's annoying," Scar-face grabbed her face firmly in his calloused hand. This is where he dies. Get a good look." He forced her head to turn in the direction where Shin-Ah was getting beaten up by the other bandits.

She cried brokenly, "Stop! If you just wanted some stuff, that's far enough, isn't it?! Don't… Don't hurt Shin-Ah or Kagome or the people!"

"Shut up!" Scar-face shouted, back-handing her brutally across the cheek. "Your little friend over there shot an arrow at me and killed 4 of our guys!"

Yona glared at him hatefully. "You killed a child!"

"That's right, missy." The leader pinned her with a chilling look and said, "The people in the Land of the Fire have lives as frail as a leaf. It's kill or be killed. If you don't wanna starve to death… If you wanna obtain pleasure… you rob others even if you have to kill 'em."

"That's wrong!" Yona protested.

"How're we supposed to live?" He interrupted her. "How're we supposed to live other than that… in a hopeless land like this?! Do you know what it's like to be so hungry you wanted to kill a person?"

She froze, effectively silenced. This… This was the consequence of her father's choices and her ignorance. If only she had realized sooner… While she had been living in the lap of luxury, the people of the Fire Tribe were being forced to harden their hearts and live a life of crime just to scrape by.

"Hey, that masked man is really hanging in there," Scar-face informed the boss.

The leader didn't spare him a glance. "We'll go on ahead." He motioned to the bandit holding Yona to follow him, Kagome still knocked out on his shoulder.

The princess was jostled out of her self-ridiculing thoughts with the movement. She screamed and started struggling anew. "Shin-Ah! Stop! Don't kill him! SHIN-AH!"

Shin-Ah lay on the ground helplessly as he was kicked repeatedly by the surrounding bandits. He wanted desperately to go to Yona. He could hear her crying.

"He stopped moving."

"Did he die?"

"Leave the finishing blow to me." The bandit lowered his sword towards Shin-Ah's prone form.

"Wait. Let's see his face before we kill him."

"That's one strange mask he's wearing."

"He must be scared and crying."

They reached down and lifted the mask from his face.

Liquid gold.

Fear like they'd never felt before immobilized them completely. They broke out in a cold sweat.

"Wha… what are they?"

"This guy's eyes…"

"I can't… look away…"

"My body… My body…"

"Can't… m… ove…"

Shin-Ah stared at them all piercingly, unblinkingly. The bandits dropped like flies, one by one. Seiryuu stepped over their fallen bodies uncaringly, walking towards the leader and Scar-face steadily. The second they looked him the eye, they ensured their death. Kagome and Yona were dropped onto the ground heedlessly as the men trembled uncontrollably.

"Ah… Ah! Are those eyes of a human?!"

Suddenly, the leader froze.

"Th… The shivering's stopped…? No… My… body won't move. Not my hands, my feet, or my fingers. What the hell is this?! What… are you?!" the bandit leader shouted hysterically.

"S…Stop! Please!" he begged as he fell back onto the floor.

"AAAAAAAH!" He clutched his arm letting out a blood-curdling scream. "My arm! My arm!"

Kagome started to stir. Groaning, she brought a hand to her aching head as she tried to blink away the blurriness from her eyes. A deadly aura permeated the air around them sending chills down her spine and waking her enough to ignore the lancing pain of her injuries as survival instincts took over. She sat up unsteadily and looked for the source of the evil atmosphere. Her eyes landed on Yona kneeling next to the bandit leader and Scar-face, in front of them, Shin-Ah towering over them. Kagome's eyes widened. _His mask… Where's his mask?!_

The priestess struggled to her feet hastily. She limped as fast as she was able to in her condition towards them, one hand protectively pressed against what was at the very least a bruised rib or two.

Yona yelled shakily, "Shin-Ah! What's going on, Shin-Ah?!"

He didn't give any sign of having heard the princess, let alone recognized her voice. He seemed to be solely focused on Scar-face, staring at him intently with his unnatural golden eyes.

The bandit crawled away from him pathetically. "Stop it… Stay away… You monster!"

All of a sudden the man grabbed his leg and started screaming, like the bandit leader had done just moment earlier. "GYAAAAAA! My… my foot! My foot…!"

Kagome reached them now, taking the shaking arm of Scar-face. "Hey! Stop! Don't look at him! Hello?!" The bandit hardly noticed her.

"Stop it! We'll return the women! Please, forgive me!" He begged tearfully.

Kagome grabbed his shoulders trying to force him to look away from Shin-Ah's gaze, but it was futile. She glanced back at Shin-Ah who was still advancing toward them and moved in front of the bandit to block his view instead. He just looked at her unseeingly, like Shin-Ah's eyes were cutting through her to haunt him still.

"M-my foot… my foot…" He kept repeating in anguish.

The priestess glanced down to his foot. There was nothing wrong with it.

"Hey!" She said, trying to get his attention fruitlessly. "Your foot is fine! Do you hear me?"

When the man didn't respond or show any semblance of relief, she turned her gaze to Shin-Ah. He was starting to scare her. She really didn't want to test if her powers would work on him, but she could see Yona and the other villagers were scared, too. He just kept walking slowly toward Scar-face. His aura was fluctuating wildly. He acted like he didn't even see Kagome in front of him.

Scar-face started screaming again. "No… Go away! EEEEEK! AHHHHH!"

Kagome's face hardened. If she needed to take Shin-Ah down, she would. No matter how much she didn't want to. The way he was going, it didn't look like anyone would be safe from him, except herself.

Suddenly, the princess ran in front of Kagome and Scar-face, arms spread wide in protection.

Eyes widening, Kagome yelled, "Yona! Don't―"

"Shin-Ah, stop!" she commanded sternly. "It's alright now. These people said they won't take me or Kagome. Aren't you hurt, Shin-Ah? Hold back your powers, okay?"

Kagome's breath caught in her lungs before she let it go in a rush of relief. _Yona's immune! His eyes didn't work on her!_ He pushed passed the princess indifferently.

Kagome tensed. Even Yona wasn't getting through to him! The princess ran in front of him again, this time pushing lightly against his chest with her hands.

"Shin-Ah! Stop it! You can't do this! You won't be able to take it back… You were so against using your powers, weren't you?!"

Shin-Ah shoved her out of the way carelessly.

"H-hey you… You don't feel anything?" A frightened bandit gaped at her. "When you see his eyes he devours you!"

Yona looked at him puzzled and voiced Kagome's thoughts as well, "Devours…?"

It was like a light bulb went off in her head. She threw herself in front of Shin-Ah again and grabbed his face with both of her hands. "Shin-Ah! Look into my eyes! Look only at me. If you want to devour me, go ahead. If you really want to do that… If devouring me will satisfy you, devour me! I will not look away from you!"

He stared at her blankly.

"Well?! What's wrong?! Shin-Ah!"

Kagome watched them, her brows furrowed in concentration as she kept a steady eye on his aura. She was ready to intervene if there were any more sudden spikes, if she thought for a moment that Yona's life was actually in danger. She couldn't tell what either one of them were thinking, especially Shin-Ah. Kagome tensed the longer their silent staring match went on. It didn't look like the princess was getting through to him. Suddenly tears started welling in Yona's eyes, spilling over to run tracks down her cheeks. Kagome started reaching forward, her hand glowing faintly with the familiar pink hue of her spiritual powers only to pull up short when Yona spoke.

"Shin-Ah. I am with you… No matter what kind of creature you are or who you hurt. Ever since that day when I took you out from that cave I've felt from my heart that we should live together… I wanted you to live freely from the bottom of my heart. That's why I won't reject your powers. Your powers are a part of you. They're evidence you exist. Kija and Jae-Ha are both living with their dragon powers, but you're different, right? What you're doing right now is what you absolutely didn't want to do. I don't want to let you do something you don't want to do! Don't drown in your power. Just like you've protected me before, I will protect you. So if my voice is reaching you, say something, Shin-Ah, person of the moonlight!"

Kagome waited with baited breath as Yona placed the ultimate trust in Shin-Ah. After what felt like an eternity Shin-Ah uttered one word, a name.

"Yo…na…"

The priestess felt the breath she'd been holding release in a rush of relief as Yona smiled beatifically and said, "My voice… it finally reached!"

"I… I…" Shin-Ah stuttered and then staggered before dropping to the ground with an audible _thud!_

"Shin-Ah!" Kagome yelled in alarm.

"Shin-Ah, stay with me!" Yona pled.

Kagome's eyes widened. _His aura…! It's… the power of the dragon's eyes is turning against him! It's attacking him from the inside out!_

"Wait just a second, I'll get the bandages!" Yona said hurriedly.

Shin-Ah stopped her. "Yo…na… Get away from me… I don't know what I'll do… while… my body is paralyzed… My abilities… backfire… Don't come near me…" Tears were flowing out of his beautiful golden eyes.

Yona gasped.

Kagome placed a gentle, but insistent hand on Yona's shoulder. "Yona, I need you to trust me. I think I can help Shin-Ah."

"W-what?" The princess looked at her wide-eyed and confused.

Kagome pressed, "I can help him. Do you trust me?"

The look in the older girl's eyes was unlike any the princess had ever seen before. Pleading, trustful, honest… Yona didn't hesitate. "Yes," she breathed out.

Kagome tried to smile faintly, but it came out more as a grimace and turned to the paralyzed dragon.

"Shin-Ah―"

"Don't…" he warned, "…Get hurt…"

She looked at him reassuringly. "Your powers won't hurt me. I promise I'll explain later, but first… let me help you." She let her hands hover above his head, her eyes closing in concentration.

Feeling even more confused, Yona started to ask, "Kagome, wha―"

Her question broke off abruptly with a gasp as she witnessed the priestess' hands become iridescent. Yona was speechless watching the warm glow spread steadily from Kagome's hands to encompass Shin-Ah's entire body.

Kagome was wholly focused on the task before her. She could feel the darkness leeching away his strength, infecting his aura like a poison… Like black ink trying to blot out a flickering blue fire. She allowed her powers to flow through him and do what they were meant to, purify. Beads of sweat formed on her brow. It had been more than 3 years since she'd last called upon her powers, and even in the Feudal Era she'd hardly ever used them directly without something else acting as a conduit to channel them. Her hands started to shake and her breathing became uneven with the strain. _Almost there…_ _Just a little more…_

Finally, sapphire eyes opened tiredly and Kagome smiled weakly. "There… all… better…"

"Kagome!" Yona cried out and just managed to catch the older girl as she slumped over unconscious for the second time that day.

Beside them, Shin-Ah stirred.

On the verge of freaking out, the princess shook her friend lightly, desperately trying to wake her up. "Kagome…!"

Shin-Ah stretched out his arm to place a calming hand on one of Yona's hands saying softly but confidently, "She's just sleeping."

Yona gasped and looked at him wide-eyed, "Shin-Ah! You can move!"

He nodded a little weakly.

She beamed at him. "I'm so glad! I thought… I was so worried." She suddenly remembered the young woman's head resting in her lap. She looked down at Kagome's peacefully slumbering face.

"…What _was_ that…? I've never seen anything like it before…" the princess trailed off unsurely.

Shin-Ah just shook his head halfheartedly and let his eyes fall closed in what was definitely a well-deserved slumber.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you all enjoyed! Reviews are always encouraged and greatly appreciated! :D**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** A new chappie for my lovely readers! Enjoy! :)

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own _Inuyasha_ 's or _Akatsuki no Yona_ 's characters or plots.

* * *

Chapter 9

Stepping into the tent, Yona questioned, "Yoon, how are they doing?"

"They're both resting." The pretty boy smiled back and informed, "I put the senjusou on their wounds, so their injuries will heal faster."

"Thank goodness!" Yona said sitting down in front of Shin-Ah's sleeping form. Inwardly, she lamented at the return of his mask, but realized that after everything that happened yesterday it was probably for the best.

Suddenly Zeno burst through the tent's entrance, followed shortly by Kija.

The yellow dragon plopped down next to Yona eagerly yelling, "Shin-Ah! Kagome! Can you hear Zeno?!"

"Hey, Zeno! Don't make such a racket." Yoon reprimanded.

"Are you alive? Feeling good? Want to play?" Zeno continued ignoring Yoon.

"They can't play!" Yoon stated, "They both need rest. Of course, this is because of their physical injuries, but for Shin-Ah, it may also be caused by his releasing all the power he was suppressing up until now all at once."

"What about his paralyzed body?" Kija asked, concern tinging his tone.

There was an awkward pause.

"That… well…" Yoon trailed off while looking between Yona, Shin-Ah and Kagome uncertainly.

Yona saved him by saying, "I think… Kagome healed... whatever was causing that…"

"Healed the paralysis?" Yoon asked wide-eyed. "How?"

Yona hesitated, "…I'm not really sure."

They all looked at Kagome in varying amounts of consternation. Yoon couldn't help but to think of all the suspicions he'd initially had when Kagome first joined them in Awa. Throughout their travels since then, Kagome had only proven herself a hardworking and compassionate individual who didn't appear to mean them any harm in his opinion. The events of yesterday only solidified this. That's why he had yet to confront her about her past or her future intentions. _Most_ people have a secret or two, but magical healing powers? That was… something else entirely.

The tense silence was interrupted by the subtle pitter patter of Ao scurrying into the tent with an acorn clutched in his tiny paws. Everyone watched his progress with a sort of avid fascination that was mostly rooted in their desire to distract themselves from the questions they all had that would remain unanswered, at least until Kagome woke. The squirrel climbed onto Shin-Ah's chest and attempted to push the acorn into his mouth.

Instead of trying to stop the small creature, Kija just said, "Shin-Ah. Don't overexert yourself. Tell me if you need something. I'll do anything."

Zeno pointed to himself happily and insisted, "Zeno too, Zeno too!"

Yoon looked at the two dryly. "You realize he can't hear you, right?"

Kija continued as if Yoon hadn't spoken at all, assuring, "It's difficult to control your dragon power if you're not used to using it. If there's anything you're at a lost about, you can consult with me. I'll listen to anything."

"Zeno too, Zeno too!"

Kija whirled on Ouryuu. "All you do is fool around in battle! You don't even use your power, do you?!"

Unfazed, Zeno replied back grinning, "Zeno's role is to cheer everyone up!"

Yoon berated them both, "White and yellow over there! If you're going to cause a racket, get out!"

Just outside the tent, Jae-Ha and Hak rejoined everyone.

Jae-Ha announced, "We're back."

Yoon and Yona came out to greet them.

"We threw the bandits out on the road. Officers will pick them up sooner or later." Jae-Ha handed Yoon a dead bird saying, "I caught this while we were out."

"Oh. Thank you," Yoon responded appreciatively.

"Princess," Hak's voice rang out solemnly, "it looks like they're holding a burial for the kid that was killed by the bandits."

Yoon looked away uncomfortably and Yona nodded gravely.

* * *

The smell of burning wood and the sound of anguished crying filled the night sky. Yona and Yoon stood side by side, watching the plume of smoke dance hauntingly upwards.

"Kagome would've wanted to be here…" Yona commented sadly.

"…I couldn't help him," Yoon stated in an almost detached grief.

Yona glanced at him and reached for his hand giving it a firm squeeze of support.

"…Yona. I've thought about whether or not I can multiply the senjusou." Yoon spoke of the medicinal herb that Yona had been tasked with acquiring by Captain Gi-Gan to prove her worth in the battle of Awa. The plant is a remedy that can cure sickness and heal wounds three times faster than normal, but only grows along the Vanishing Cape in extremely small amounts thus it is highly valued by those few who know of its existence. "If I can, I might be able to heal everyone's illnesses and injuries. I have to study more on medicine."

"…Yes," Yona replied. "I will do my best, too. Let's purge this sight from the Land of Fire."

* * *

When they returned to camp, it was late and everyone was preparing for sleep. That was when it occurred to Yona.

"Oh, that's right. I can't use the tent today," she remarked to Yoon.

"Sorry. Kagome and Shin-Ah still haven't recovered, so I'll tend their sides…" He trailed off apologetically.

"It's fine. I'll sleep outside."

Kija anxiously protested, "Oh no… Princess, you can't sleep outside. There are bugs outside!"

Jae-Ha eagerly offered, "Yona dear, you can sleep by my side."

She smiled, the picture of naivety, and said, "It'll be fine… because I'll sleep with Hak."

There was a loud clattering noise as Hak dropped all of the firewood he'd been carrying.

"No?" Yona asked and looked at him in surprise.

He busied himself with picking up the pieces of wood replying, "It's not really…"

"Yona dear, that's dangerous. The Thunder Beast is a beast," Jae-Ha warned.

Hak chucked a log at the green dragon's head. "Don't group me with you, Droopy Eyes."

Kija turned away holding a hand to his heart and wondering to himself why his chest felt so tight.

Zeno glomped Yona from behind and suggested giddily, "Miss! Sleep with Zeno for a change!"

"Sorry, Zeno." The princess smiled sweetly. "Hak's good."

Hak fell over and everyone else froze in muted shock.

Zeno came out of it first asking, "Is that so?" He wrapped Jae-Ha forcefully in a one-sided hug. "Then Zeno will sleep close to Ryokuryuu! If you need Zeno, just call!"

" _I'll pass,_ " Jae-Ha adamantly refused.

Kija shakily pled, "Yoon, I have an emergency. My chest hurts terribly."

"I can't fix that," Yoon stated dryly.

Kija's eyes widened fearfully. "It's an incurable illness?!"

Ignoring the dragons, Hak joined Yona sitting against a nearby tree trunk.

"…What's going on?" he asked her suspiciously.

She looked at him innocently. "What?"

He gave her a deadpan stare.

She smiled at him amiably. "When doing this… it's just like the time the two of us traveled together, right?"

He stared at the three dragons huddled around them with blankets and pillows. Kija and Zeno snuggled against each other.

"Not at all."

 _Minutes later…_

The rustling of fabric, a dulled thud, and a feminine gasp disturbed the otherwise quiet night.

"What do you think you're doing, Princess?" Hak asked her, one hand trapping her wrist in a firm, but gentle grip. The dagger she'd been attempting to pilfer had fallen to the ground between them.

"If I can't even do this, how will I convince you to be my swordsmanship partner?" She questioned a tad dejectedly.

A tick of irritation formed at his temple. "So you were planning this from the beginning?"

Yona nodded.

"…Please come over here for a bit." His tone was clearly annoyed as he pulled her up leading her away from the others sleeping.

"Sorry. You were sleeping and I woke you up," Yona apologized for the lesser of her crimes.

"…So," he started slowly, "swords again?"

She looked down. "I know you still oppose it, Hak… even though you gave me permission before. Kagome was teaching me yesterday, before the bandits… But she's hurt now and if I do it alone, there will be limitations. Never have I regretted my own powerlessness as I did this time…"

"It isn't your fault that you couldn't help that child," Hak said matter-of-factly.

"But Kagome… I couldn't do anything to help her except to run away and find someone else who could. And Shin-Ah, he― If I had the power to save that child… if I had the power to keep Kagome and Shin-Ah from getting hurt… More… More…"

She bowed deeply. "Hak, please. I… want strength. _Teach me the sw_ ―"

"Stop," he interrupted her. "You are my master. A master should never lower their head for a servant," he told her solemnly righting her by gripping her shoulders.

She looked up at him desperately. "What… should I do?"

He gazed at her seriously. "You should order me. If you earnestly order me to do it… I can't refuse it."

She stared at him surprised for a moment, but then she pinned him with a determined look and commanded, "Hak. Teach me the sword. That's an order."

He lowered himself to one knee; head bowed and replied, "As you command."

* * *

 _The next morning…_

Kagome groaned softly as she slowly became conscious. Her body was achy all over and swore she hadn't felt this drained since right after the Final Battle against Naraku. She felt like shuddering just at the thought. She sat up carefully looking around herself curiously. She was inside the tent she and Yona usually shared at night to sleep away from the guys. Slightly crumpled bedding to her left, between her and the entrance, suggested someone else had been resting beside her at some point. She blinked. _Oh yeah… The bandits attacked… and Shin-Ah went crazy…_

Suddenly the tent 'doors' flapped open to reveal the genius pretty boy. He looked at her in pleased surprise.

"Oh. You're awake. How are you feeling?" he asked professionally.

Kagome smiled back wanly. "Like I fought a bunch of bandits and then ran a marathon, but other than that fine."

His brows furrowed. _What the heck is a 'marathon'?_

"…Well that's good," he started unsurely. "I'm just gonna check your wounds. They probably need to be re-bandaged."

She nodded at him in acquiescence.

He worked quietly, in what usually would have been amicable silence, but today Kagome felt like it was strained. And she had an idea as to why…

When he was just about done she said, "Yoon. I'm guessing Yona told you what happened that time… You probably have a lot of questions for me and I'll answer them, but I'd like to do so with everyone else present. You all deserve to hear what I have to say."

His hands froze in the middle of tying a knot, and then he nodded his head and quickly finished bandaging her up.

"They're all outside…"

She smiled at him courteously. "Alright, let's get this over with."

Kagome winced as the morning sun forced her to blink painfully waiting for her eyes to adjust. Everyone was milling about the campsite doing one chore or another. Yona was the first to spot her.

"Kagome!" The princess rushed over immediately pulling her into a heartfelt embrace mindful of the older girl's injuries though.

"Are you okay? I'm so sorry for everything that happened! I―"

Kagome cut her off waving a dismissive hand in the air. "I'm fine, I'm fine. You don't have to apologize to me for anything, Yona. Everything that happened… none of it was your fault. It was the bandits'."

The priestess was firm in her assurances, but it was clear that the princess wasn't going to be swayed from her guilt quite so easily.

"Miss Kagome, it's good to see you up and walking!" Kija said with a relieved smile.

"Miss had a close call! Zeno was by yours and Seiryuu's sides all of yesterday until Yoon banned Zeno and Hakuryuu from entering!" Zeno jumped in ever-energetically.

Yoon glared at them. "You two idiots were making too much noise!"

Kagome sweat-dropped and smiled lopsidedly. "Thanks guys…"

"It's a relief that you are alright," Jae-Ha said pleasantly, "but I'm afraid I have to ask what is on everyone's minds…" Here he turned serious. "What exactly happened that time…?"

Everyone's expressions became serious at the reminder.

Kagome let out a soft puff of air in resignation. "I guess it is time, huh?"

She sat down on nearby rock and waited until everyone else followed her lead making themselves comfortable as well. They all looked at her in varying states of expectancy, interest and worry.

She took a deep breath in to try and collect her thoughts and then began her tale…

* * *

"…and then I found myself here, in the Earth Tribe. I had no idea the well would take me here. It's never taken me anywhere other than the past or my present, but as soon as I climbed out of it I could tell I wasn't in the Feudal Era like I'd hoped. After 3 years of waiting and finishing my education, I thought I'd finally be able to go back to live out the rest of my life with the friends that'd become a second family to me… but obviously that didn't happen. I tried jumping back into the well, multiple times. I even sprained my ankle before I finally gave up. It wouldn't let me back through. So ever since then, I've just been traveling from one village to the next searching for some kind of clue of how I can return home. The more I've traveled though, the more I've wondered if I'm not supposed to be doing something here. My friends from the Feudal Era and I had long suspected that the only reason I was transported there was to rid the world of the Shikon Jewel and after that was accomplished… I was sent back to the modern era…"

Silence stretched throughout the campsite, everyone consumed by their own thoughts. Kagome had just told them everything. How she was originally from some place called Tokyo, Japan and how she time traveled into the past and discovered she could fight demons by using something she calls spiritual powers because she's a priestess. It sounded like quite the tale. Eventually, Jae-Ha was the one to break it.

"You don't honestly expect us to believe all of that, do you?"

His face expressed his skepticism openly.

"You're telling us that where you come from, there are others like us," he gestured to himself, Kija, Shin-Ah and Zeno, "roaming around freely and more powerful than any one of the Four Dragons?"

Kagome shook her head. "Not… exactly like you. It's hard to explain, but your auras are similar. I mean I can sense that you're _different_ from other humans in the same way that I can sense a demon, but… I wasn't sure that my spiritual powers would work the same way on you as it does on actual demons."

"You mean how it _purifies_ them?" he questioned sharply.

She flinched at the accusation. "…Yes, but I wouldn't ever attempt to do that on any of you―"

"Then what would you call what you did to Shin-Ah?" he interrupted her.

"That's… that's different!" she insisted pleadingly.

The green dragon looked at her challengingly. "Oh? How so?"

She floundered for a second trying to find the words to explain it. "It's… I… Look, when you use your gift, your dragon's leg, you command it… You control what it does and manipulate it to do what you want it to. My powers are no different in that aspect. If I wanted to purify you, which I'm not even sure that I could, it would look exactly the same as if I was trying to heal you. But I need you to trust me when I say that I would _never_ try to harm any of you… unless you were endangering the lives of others… maybe not even then." At this, she turned to look at Shin-Ah apologetically.

The blue dragon looked down, the shame from his recent actions still fresh in his mind. Kagome looked around to all of the somber faces of the people she'd come to think of as friends. She'd gladly give her life for any one of them… She looked down and willed away the sting of tears.

"…It was wrong of me to hide this from you all for so long… and I don't expect you to believe me… So… I promise that I won't tell anyone about Yona or any of you… I'll just… go pack my things." She stood up with the little dignity she still had and turned to go grab her belongings from the tent.

"Wait!" Yona's voice stopped her. "That's it? You're just going to leave?"

Kagome looked at her confused. "I thought…"

"Droopy Eyes was just giving you a hard time," Hak said before proceeding to punch the green dragon in the head. Hard.

Jae-Ha absently rubbed the back of his head. "I was merely testing you, Kagome, dear. I'm afraid I took it a bit too far."

"I'll say. Damn beasts. There's no way I'd be able to take care of all these idiots without your help Kagome," Yoon said glaring at said beasts.

"Zeno doesn't want Miss to go either! Then Zeno wouldn't have anyone to play with!" Zeno stated with a childlike grin.

"Of course we don't think that you would harm any of us, Miss Kagome!" Kija assured her sincerely.

Her battle to not cry ended up being a lost cause. The tears were streaming down her face by the time Shin-Ah gently laid a strong hand on her shoulder and simply said, "Stay."

She let out a wobbly laugh and continued to cry happily when they all gathered around her in one huge group hug.

Maybe she'd found a new place to call home again after all…

* * *

 **A/N:** Hope you all liked it! Reviews, faves and follows are all greatly appreciated!


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** I'm so sorry that I forgot to update this past Sunday! I was really trying not to go longer than a week between updates, but life is just too crazy at the moment. Forewarning, updates will probably be slowing down a lot soon since I just really don't have the time! I promise I'll try my best though, and even if it takes a long time I'm not giving up on this story!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters or plot lines of _Inuyasha_ or _Akatsuki no Yona_.

* * *

Chapter 10

 _In Katan Village…_

 _Crash!_

Bits of pottery and ceramics broke loudly upon the dirt covered ground. Fire Tribe soldiers ransacked the village, barging into homes, and pushing the villagers around roughly.

"Look inside of the houses, too! If there's anyone suspicious bring them here!"

"What are you doing? Please stop it!" a villager pleaded.

"Move!"

Looking on in mild disapproval were two more men of high-ranking in the Fire Tribe based on their expensive attire.

The dark-haired one, Heuk-Chi, commented casually, "No elegance…"

Suddenly a small child confronted the two men throwing a well-aimed rock at the head of the one with long, steel grey hair.

"Get out!" the child yelled angrily if not intimidatingly. "Get out of Katan village!"

Yoon grabbed the kid shouting, "Don't! You have to go hide!"

The pretty boy tensed in fear. The soldiers would surely kill him and the child for the transgression against someone with such a status. To his great surprise however, the long-haired guy bowed shakily to Yoon.

"I'm sorry I was born…" Tae-Jun said despairingly.

Heuk-Chi supported him while saying politely, "This person is currently sensitive so please don't say mean things to him."

The child apologized in confused hesitation. "I'm… I'm sorry…"

"Don't worry, I also want to throw rocks at him sometimes…" Heuk-Chi confessed bluntly.

"What's with this conversation?" Yoon wondered aloud to himself.

"What's wrong?" the girl asked nosily now that her life wasn't in any immediate danger.

"Hey, you should go hide…" Yoon warned, "This is going to be annoying…"

Heuk-Chi stated dryly, "If I say it simply, he's lovesick… or so it seems."

"Who is lovesick?!" Tae-Jun shouted with more liveliness than he'd shown since entering Katan Village.

"It's not like that…" he insisted, "It's not love or any of those glittery feelings! Don't compare them! This feeling is…" He started crying. "This feeling is…"

"I don't even know myself!" he bellowed melodramatically.

Yoon gave him a deadpan stare. "To be honest, you're annoying."

"Please listen to this person's story in my place," Heuk-Chi propositioned.

"No way," Yoon shot him down vehemently. Turning serious again, he continued, "…We are barely getting enough food for each day. We can't afford to pay any more taxes. Please leave.

Heuk-Chi responded evenly, without malice, "Taxes are part of a citizen's duty."

Yoon's brow ticked. "It's our duty to pay outrageous taxes for nobles' luxuries and for a larger than necessary army?! Isn't it _your_ duty to worry about our food supply and sick before your luxuries?!"

"Organizing the army is a way to protect the Fire Tribe's people," he replied calmly.

Yoon was convinced nothing could rattle this guy. He stated bitterly, "How misleading…"

"…Well, it doesn't matter. I didn't come here to collect taxes; I came here to capture the bandits."

Yoon's eyes widened. "Bandits…?"

He nodded. "Have you heard of them? It seems they are calling themselves 'The Hungry Bandits' or…"

"I found it!" a nameless soldier called out. "The taxes that the bandits have collected are here! Like we suspected, they hid the taxes! Doesn't that mean the village is harboring bandits?"

"Not necessarily," the black-haired official argued sedately.

"You said that you are here to capture the bandits, right?" Yoon asked rhetorically. "Then it's about time… to get our work started, isn't it?"

Heuk-Chi looked at him strangely, only having a second to wonder who the pretty boy was speaking to when a man dropped out of the sky.

"Thank you for your hard work…" Jae-Ha said sarcastically, "government officials."

He rained daggers down on the lot of them with deadly accuracy. One of the few who wasn't hit with Jae-Ha's initial attack started to back away from the gruesome scene on wobbly legs whilst crying out in fright.

"Where are you going?" Kija's voice took on a surprisingly eerie quality as he stopped the fleeing official by brandishing his giant claw threateningly. "Weren't you looking for us?"

The official stuttered, "They… They―They're hereee! It's the Hungry Bunch!"

Yoon yelled irately, "Who is that supposed to be?!"

"They're right to fear us," a feminine voice entered the fray.

Kagome leaped into the fight with an ostentatious show of acrobatics and grace, her sword lit with her spiritual powers. Of course her powers were useless against regular humans, but the Fire Tribe lackeys didn't need to know that. There's nothing more frightening than the unknown.

A couple of officials who apparently had encountered The Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungry Bunch before gaped fearfully.

"Mo-monsters…"

"Didn't we say so?!"

Tae-Jun on the other hand, was entirely unafraid. He was struck by the unearthly beauty of the being before him. The entirety of her seemed to almost be exuding an otherworldly light. He fell to his knees in front of Kagome, arms spread wide and eyes closed like he was waiting for something. Kagome was startled by his odd behavior and just stood staring at him bewildered. After a moment, he peeked one eye open and when he saw that she was unmoving; he grabbed her hand holding her glowing sword and held it to his neck.

"What's wrong, Death Goddess? Can you please hurry up?!" he begged like a crazed psychopath.

"What?" she questioned him completely taken aback. She pulled on her wrist in a futile attempt to make him let go of her. "No! Who are you calling 'Death Goddess'?! My name is Kagome!"

"You can only take me with you right now! Tomorrow I might be too scared to go so you have to take me now!"

"Who are you?!" she tugged on her arm more fervently. "Let go of my hand!"

"Gykk!" Tae-Jun made a strangled choking sound as Jae-Ha squished his head into the hard-packed earth using his dragon's leg.

"What are you doing, 'Death Goddess'?" Jae-Ha taunted Kagome teasingly, "He's asking you so nicely, so why don't you send him off happily?"

She glared at him and protested, "I can't seriously attack an unarmed person!" She whispered furiously, "A priestess is supposed to help people, not kill them for no reason!"

He smiled in a way that told her he wasn't at all persuaded despite answering, "Yes, yes."

"Ugh…" A fallen official stated, "As I suspected, Katan Village is harboring bandits!"

"You idiot," Jae-Ha insulted him coolly correcting, "This area is our turf. Of course we would protect what we've stolen!"

The two dragons and Kagome leaned on one another in a pose that was clearly meant to be evil and intimidating looking.

"We have friends all over the Land of Fire," Jae-Ha added while pressing down on Tae-Jun's head a little harder.

"Lord Tae-Jun. Lord Tae-Jun. Are you alive?" Heuk-Chi asked with less concern than he probably should have had for his supposed friend.

"You brats! Hurry up and throw those guys out! The people in the village are afraid," Yona's voice rung out.

Lord Tae-Jun, as Kagome had just learned, stiffened instantly at the sound of the princess' voice before somehow managing to lift himself from Jae-Ha's foot.

"Oh," Jae-Ha commented in surprise, "It looks like he still has some energy left, Captain."

"Hey you officer, stop resisting!"

Yona's command only seemed to spur his struggle on more though.

Jae-Ha was merely amused by the sudden show of strength remarking, "Heh… Didn't know that there was a person that could get up after being pinned down by my foot."

Even his soldiers were shocked.

"Hey look…"

"Lord Tae-Jun is…"

"No way…"

"That useless Lord Tae-Jun is… overpowering that monster's strength?!"

Lord Tae-Jun then let loose an alarmingly loud battle cry as he pushed against Jae-Ha's foot with inhuman strength and stood up unsteadily.

"Ooh, Lord Tae-Jun!"

"Lord Tae-Jun!"

Some of the soldiers were actually flushing in awe and admiration of their lord. Kagome sweat-dropped at all of the theatrics.

Kija came up behind Lord Tae-Jun, picked him up with his clawed hand, and tossed him out of the village as easily as a normal person can throw a ball.

"You're in the way!"

"Lord Tae-Jun!" his officers cried desperately.

Kagome turned to her companions curiously. "Who's Lord Tae-Jun?"

* * *

 _The next day…_

"They're persistent," Kija commented off-handedly as he chucked Tae-Jun and his officers out of the village.

"You're pretty stubborn too, aren't you?" Jae-Ha shot back at him mockingly.

"You're both pretty pig-headed in my opinion," Kagome stated dryly.

* * *

 _And the day after that…_

Kagome was playing with Zeno and a couple of the village children when Kija walked up carrying a 'villager' over his shoulder.

"Yoon isn't here?" Hakuryuu asked a little disappointedly.

Zeno nodded easily. "Yep. He left."

Kagome elaborated after rolling her eyes at Zeno's answer. "He went to another village with Jae-Ha, but if it's not too serious I can take a look," she offered.

Kija smiled gratefully. "That would be wonderful, Lady Kagome!"

She sighed in exasperation. "Kija, how many times must I tell you that you can just call me 'Kagome'?"

He shook his head adamantly even as he set the sick villager on the floor beside her. "I couldn't possibly! Lady Kagome is a holy being and deserves respect!"

She rolled her eyes, something that seemed to be happening more and more often around this group. She decided not to press the issue for now and instead turned to inspect the villager curiously. Her eyes widened minutely before she was able to reign in her shock. She did a double-take of his aura in her mind's eye and nodded to herself. _It's definitely him. Kan Tae-Jun, the second son of the general of the Fire Tribe. What is he doing here… dressed like a commoner…?_

Shaking off her thoughts, she decided that she wouldn't out him until she figured out whether or not he meant them any harm. Their previous meeting had more than proven that he was no threat to them by himself at least. She reached forward to place the back of her hand gently across his forehead feeling his temperature and smiled.

"Well, you don't seem to have a fever. Are you in pain anywhere?"

He flushed briefly after she pulled her hand back; she'd caught him by surprise. He couldn't seem to find any words as he took in the sight of her. She did have that ethereal glow around her like the last time he'd seen her, but her long, midnight locks and stunning sapphire blue eyes were unchanged and still managed to render him speechless. Shaking his head, he watched in no small amount of awe as she smiled that same smile at him again, the one that sent his heart fluttering almost painfully.

"That's good! In that case, it is my non-professional opinion that you are healthy if not perhaps suffering from a bit of stress," she joked, "but then, aren't we all?"

Tae-Jun was too stunned to reply. She was being so kind to him, a total stranger. He would have been even more shocked if he knew that she was aware of his true identity.

She continued on unaffected by his disquiet. "You should have Yoon check you out when he gets back if you're still feeling unwell though."

He nodded weakly and couldn't seem to stop his eyes from following her form as she rose with a poise he thought befitting of a noblewoman in his home of Saika.

"Here."

The general's son tore his gaze from the shoji door that Kagome had disappeared behind and stared blankly at the bowl of what looked like muddy water being offered to him. The small child proffering it smiled encouragingly.

"Wh…what's this…?"

"Ginger soup! It works well against illness. Warm yourself up!"

"Ginger…" he mumbled to himself distrustfully.

He then tipped the bowl to spill its contents onto the ground with a false note in his exclamation, "Oops! My hand slipped!"

His eyes widened in utter shock when Zeno dove with hands outstretched underneath him to catch the falling liquid.

"Wha… What are you―" he started puzzled.

"Hurry and get the bowl!" Zeno yelled sharply.

Kagome swooped in, seemingly out of nowhere, with an empty bowl and easily caught the soup from Ouryuu's waiting hands.

"Whew!" She smiled in relief. "That was a close one, wasn't it?" she playfully asked the children who nodded along eagerly.

"If only… these hands were as big as Hakuryuu's," Zeno mumbled to himself.

Kagome heard him and reached over to ruffle his hair lightheartedly. "You did good, Zeno!"

Tae-Jun looked at their interaction in wonderment. Was she this compassionate with everyone? And what was the big deal? To him, it was just a bit of food… If one could call that food.

Zeno smiled merrily, snapping back to his usual self. "Sorry. Some of it spilt," he apologized to the kids.

"What a waste."

"Right?"

Addressing Tae-Jun, Zeno asked politely, "Hey, is it alright to give this to them?"

"Eh… uh…" He looked too surprised to speak again. "…Yes…"

He watched in horrified amazement as the two children drank from the bowl greedily, and Kagome quickly left his side to stop them from getting into an argument over the costly bowl of soup.

"Even food that looks like dirty water seems like a treasured feast." Zeno interrupted his thoughts while licking his hands of excess soup. "Do you see the faces of those children? They're desperate. It's because that's the first meal they've had today."

Tae-Jun stiffened in disbelief. "That one bowl has to feed them both…?"

"That's right. That's a given here. Just one drop is a precious drop of life."

He watched as Kagome softly ushered the small children towards him.

"Mister," one got his attention by tugging on his sleeve lightly, "I'm sorry. We drank your ginger soup…"

"Are you okay?" the other asked worriedly.

Tae-Jun looked as if someone had physically struck him. "Oh… no, I'm already… fine. I'm the one who's sorry…"

"Do you still not understand, young lord?"

"Eh…?" Tae-Jun looked away from where he'd been watching Kagome leaving again. Somehow his eyes always seemed to zero in on her, like a moth to a flame. It took him another minute to realize that Zeno had just addressed him as 'lord'.

"Well, coming here was a good opportunity, right? You should take time to look around. So the next time you come… you can bring candy for everyone, too!" Zeno patted him on the back enthusiastically.

Tae-Jun froze at Zeno's words, sweating bullets. Zeno stood and wandered off to somewhere behind the hunched over form of the anxious lord.

"Huh?" Zeno's curious voice rung out, "Are you going to sword practice, Miss?"

"Yes. Although I'm still practicing with a wooden sword," a feminine voice answered.

"It's better to be cautious, especially at the beginning." Tae-Jun heard Kagome's lyrical voice answer wryly.

Tae-Jun whirled around with his mouth gaping when he finally placed the sound of the mystery woman's voice only to see nothing and no one around.

* * *

Kagome looked up slightly in surprise as Shin-Ah sat up slowly, his face up-turned as if looking at something outside the tent.

Kija questioned, "What's wrong, Shin-Ah?"

"The sky… just lit up…"

Kagome asked both bewildered and impressed, "You can see the sky lighting up when you're in a tent?"

"Ah. Hey!" Kija called out to the blue dragon as Shin-Ah bypassed him to make his way out of the tent.

Yona was just outside and asked inquiringly, "Shin-Ah?"

He looked out into the distance. "Soldiers… Many soldiers are… heading this way…"

Kagome's eyes widened fractionally.

* * *

"This guy is a spy. He revealed our location to his allies." Kagome heard Hak's voice just as she pushed passed the foliage surrounding the make-shift camp.

"Now that you mention it, Seiryuu said there are a ton of soldiers marching towards the village!" Zeno announced cheerily.

Yoon glared at him. "Say those things sooner! We figured something like that was going to happen…"

Kagome joined them noticing Tae-Jun being held down by Hak and knelt beside him.

"So I'm guessing you weren't feeling sick earlier?" she asked him rhetorically, but more in an ironic sense of humor than actual offense.

He flinched and averted his eyes from hers anyway though. He felt ashamed that he'd deceived someone as considerate heart. Her deep blue eyes staring at him with anything less than the hatred that he felt he deserved was still too much of a kindness in his mind.

"This is bad." Yoon worried while bringing a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "Jae-Ha's not in the village right now… and Shin-Ah's still injured…"

"Even though he's a pervert, it's inconvenient when he's not here…" Hak admitted in a back-handed manner. "White snake, Sparkles, and I are just going to have to take care of it ourselves…"

Kagome felt her brow twitch. "Who are you calling 'Sparkles'?" she asked with a familiar eye-tick forming.

The corner of Hak's lips lifted in the beginnings of a similarly familiar smirk.

"Zeno will also try his best!"

"Yeah, yeah have fun with your competition," Yoon remarked sardonically.

"What are we gonna do with this guy?"

"Well for now he's our hostage…"

"P-please!" Tae-Jun begged emphatically. "Please! Release me! Shooting the signal flare was an accident! I'll go stop the troops, so please! Release me!"

Hak and Yoon smiled down at him with matching grins practically dripping with honey.

"You should've said that sooner! Sorry for everything! We leave everything in your hands!" Hak said, pretty convincingly in Kagome's opinion.

"Did you seriously think we would say that? You halfwit!" The former general's hand gripped the nervous lord's head harshly.

Yoon crossed his arms. "There's no way we'd release you… We're going to negotiate with you as our hostage! Luckily, since you're a big shot, as long as you're here… those guys probably won't attack the village recklessly."

"This guy tried to kill us before. If we return him, he'll tell the Fire Tribe Chief and Hiryuu Castle that we are alive. Before that happens, I'll kill you without hesitation!" Hak said in a deadly serious tone.

Tae-Jun's eyes swung up to meet Hak's desperately. "…Just now… Did you say 'us'… Is… Is that person… Is Princess Yona… Is she still alive?!"

"Tell me! Please! I promise! I won't tell anyone! I don't have to see her… I don't even have to speak to her! That person is…!" he begged, bordering on delirious.

"Alive!" Zeno informed him happily. "The miss is the liveliest of us all!"

Tae-Jun stared at Ouryuu for a moment in pure shock, and then his eyes started welling up with tears. Kagome looked at the pathetic sight he made in surprise. She figured that he must have been holding onto a lot of guilt over his past actions in regards to Yona, and only now was relieved to find that his crimes weren't actually as horrible as he'd feared. She would've had to be made of stone to not sympathize with him on some level. After all, no one is immune from making mistakes, and guilt… is a powerful thing capable of tearing a person down and making them question everything they've ever done.

"Is that so… She's lively… Is that so… She is… alive…" he mumbled to himself repetitively, holding his hands up to cover his face.

"Hak," Yona called as she entered the loose circle they had formed around the crying noble. "Hak! Yoon. Come quickly, there's an emergency."

Kagome was shocked even more when upon hearing Yona's voice Tae-Jun immediately positioned his body into that of a deep bow, sobbing all the while.

"Eh… Um…" Yona looked down at him and up around at everyone else in puzzlement. "Who are you? Please, raise your head." She commanded softly, but Tae-Jun refused.

The princess looked at everyone in silent askance.

Kagome answered in a gentle tone, "The second son of the Fire Chief, Lord Kan Tae-Jun."

Her eyes widened comically. "What?"

She looked at the others as if to ask for confirmation before turning her sights back to the noble still bowing on the ground.

"…Tae-Jun…"

Kija looked at the man with a displeasure Kagome had not seen on the white dragon's face previously in their travels.

He spoke harshly, "Kan Tae-Jun is… the one who sent his soldiers after the princess, right?"

It was a rhetorical question. Kagome understood why Kija would hate such a man. Kija hated anyone who attempted to bring harm to the princess, but it has always been her personal belief that everyone deserves a second chance in life, no matter the crime committed or the person who committed it. If she condemned everyone based on first impressions alone, she wouldn't have any of the friends she values most.

"This person shot up a flare to call the soldiers," Yoon replied, "But he's also saying that the flare was a mistake and that's why he wants to be released. It's to tell the soldiers to stop."

"How ridiculous!" Kija balked at the proposition. "Normally, you would've had your head chopped off by now!"

"I―" Tae-Jun hesitated. "I know that… I know that asking you to understand is ridiculous… But, among the soldiers that are currently surrounding the village, there are bound to be a few that would recognize the princess… If that many troops report it at once, my― my father, Kan Soo-Jin will find out that you are alive!"

Hak looked down at the man discerningly. "Wouldn't you be the first one to report it?"

"I will not report it to anyone!" Tae-Jun refuted adamantly.

"You mean to tell us that you would betray your own clan?" Hak goaded. "How are we supposed to believe that?"

The noble's form on the ground seemed to tense up at the question.

"I… I don't know… I don't know, but… I― I am going to stop the soldiers, and then… if for some reason I cannot keep my promise, no… even if you think I am suspicious at all, please kill me! If it's you, then… I don't care if I am killed!"

Everyone stared at him taken aback at the conviction that clearly rang through his vow.

"…Why?" Yona asked him softly. "You damaged the capital, Fuuga… and even tried to kill Hak… Why are you saying these things now? Lift your head. Look into my eyes and tell me."

Kagome barely managed stop turn the startled 'eww' into a startled cough when the lord raised his head to address the princess. The once dignified noble made quite the pitiful sight with tears and snot running tracks down his face making his eyes and nose red and swollen.

"I'm… I'm so sorry… My… My vision is… distorted. I- I don't know… where… your eyes are… princess. I don't know… why I'm saying these things… or why I'm doing these things… I'm so confused... It's just that… I'm so fortunate… For a sinful person like me, to once again, be talking to you like this. I can't help but feel… so fortunate! Thank you so much… for being alive! Thank you!"

"Pft―" Kagome couldn't stop the sound of amusement from slipping out.

Yona was laughing uncontrollably.

"Princess," Hak said sternly.

She giggled for another moment before saying, "…Sorry, Hak… Can we release him?"

He looked at her already resigned. "Does it matter what I say?"

She smiled at him and then turned to address the fallen noble confidently. "Tae-Jun, we'll release you. Your troops are already in our line of sight. If they continue forward, there will be casualties even among the villagers. If it comes to that, we will have to crush the soldiers with all of our strength. This does not exclude you since you are the leader of our enemy. If you don't fulfill your promise and the villagers get hurt, I will shoot you down without mercy. If you are prepared for that… go and stop them with all of your might!"

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks for reading! I hope you all enjoyed it and as always, I love to hear any feedback you may have!


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Wow, okay so apparently when I frantically write/post a new chapter to try to meet self-imposed deadlines, I make mistakes. I re-read this so I could remember where I left off to write the next chapter and realized that 1) I didn't put a disclaimer! If I ever forget to do so in the future, know that it is on accident and I definitely am not trying to make claims where there are none! and 2) I completely blanked on the fact that Heuk-Chi and some of Tae-Jun's soldiers saw Kagome in the last chapter, so I re-wrote the scene in Grandma Mi-Rae's hut (if this is your first time reading chapter, this reference will make sense later if you keep reading). I apologize profusely for my blunders!

 **Disclaimer** : I do not own _Inuyasha_ or _Akatsuki no Yona_.

* * *

Chapter 11

Kagome stared out into the night. Beside her stood her comrades and Tae-Jun all matching her position with the village at their backs. The sound of dozens of heavy feet falling created an ominous rhythm.

"What's that sound?" Yoon asked anxiously.

"A warning march."

"Soldiers."

Hak and Kagome answered at the same time with identically grim faces that spoke of their battlefield experience. Hak briefly wondered at what Kagome had been through in her "Feudal Era" that she hadn't shared with them in the summarized retelling, because fighting a lone enemy and fighting an army were two very different things.

Kija brandished his dragon's claw. "Bring it on then."

"D-don't worry! I'm going to stop them right now!" Tae-Jun stuttered.

"Yes," Yona replied smiling, "I'll be watching you. Show me that you're serious."

Shin-Ah stepped forward while looking intently out into the darkness.

"What's wrong, Shin-Ah?" Kija questioned his fellow dragon.

"Fire arrows."

Kija's eyes widened. "What?!"

A voice rang out, "This is a warning shot! Aim for the front of the village!"

"Princess, stand back!" Everyone fluidly moved to surround Yona in a protective formation.

"Princess!" Tae-Jun called over his shoulder. While everyone else had been concerned with the princess, he had somehow managed to make it several feet in front of them. "Thank you for believing in me!"

They all watched as he ran out into the oncoming hail of fire arrows screaming his own version of a battle cry. Kagome waited with baited breath. There was no way of knowing if he made it through and was able to talk down his soldiers… unless of course, you have someone with eyes like Shin-Ah's.

"They're going back…" Shin-Ah announced aloud.

Kagome let the breath go in a soft _whoosh_ and could only hope that Tae-Jun hadn't been too injured in his endeavor to keep his promise.

* * *

The next day Yona, Kija and Kagome were all enjoying a morning walk together. The princess and Kagome had proclaimed earlier that they were going to take a little stroll around the village and check on everyone, and Kija had eagerly offered to come along, undoubtedly to keep a watchful eye on the princess. Yona giggled to herself as Kagome and Kija animatedly chatted with wildly gesturing hands over their mutual fear of bugs and the like, especially spiders…

"No really, we call it 'bug spray'. It smells kind of awful, but it's pretty effective at repelling insects," Kagome informed the doubtful dragon.

His eyes widened in wonder not unlike a child's. "How can that be?! Lady Kagome, would it be possible to recreate this miracle potion?"

The priestess barked out a laugh, but quickly settled down at the earnest look on his face. "Um, I don't think so. I don't really know the chemical makeup of it to begin with, let alone which herbs I could use from this land to produce similar effects. Maybe Yoon and I could―"

All of a sudden a high-pitched scream echoed in the air interrupting their conversation. The three looked at each other in alarm before hurrying in the direction the sound came from.

"Hak, that's…!" Kija gaped at the former general and the nervous person dangling from his hand.

"Hey! Let me go!"

Hak set the noble down roughly, but the noble was too distracted to care. Tae-Jun was staring at Kagome in what looked an awful lot like reverence. The Thunder Beast's brow ticked unconsciously. Kagome, for her part, was beyond shocked when the lord kneeled in front of her; she'd assumed that he was there for the princess.

Bowing humbly, Tae-Jun spoke timidly, "I am visiting today to…"

He glanced up at Kagome's confused face and quickly became flustered and red in the face.

"…u-u-u-um, to give you a gift…" He fumbled with the wrapped bundle in his hands anxiously before Hak swooped in and snatched it out of his nerveless fingers.

The ex-general untied the cloth holding together the bundle to reveal food. _Good food._ Kagome couldn't help the grumble her stomach made at the savory smell wafting from the boxes of food. Hak's eyes narrowed for the slightest of moments before he turned to Kija, pinching a piece of the food between thumb and forefinger.

"White Snake, open your mouth."

"Huh?" Kija did as commanded with a thoughtless, trusting obedience.

Hak watched steadily as the white dragon munched on the food.

"How is it?"

"It's rather delicious," Kija stated, "It's light. But it has a deep flavor that lingers inside your mouth faintly like spring."

Hak had already stopped listening though as soon as he determined that the food wasn't poisoned. He handed the boxes to Kagome saying, "Okay. You can eat it, Sparkles."

Kija gasped loudly with a fully affronted expression on his face. "You just used me as a taste tester without informing me?!"

"…Thanks…" Kagome took the proffered food more than a little surprised at the unexpectedly thoughtful gesture from the former general who was now carelessly ignoring the white dragon currently screaming in his ear while expertly dodging Kija's deadly claw.

Turning to Tae-Jun, she smiled and thanked him as well. In her head though, she was mostly just wondering what she'd done to garner this kind of attention from the noble.

"Thank you, Lord Tae-Jun. If this is for the other day, then you really didn't need to bring me anything."

"It's― It's for everything," he proclaimed vaguely, but intently.

She looked at him unsurely. "Well… alright. Thank you again."

He nodded smiling in extreme happiness that transitioned into dancing and jumping for joy only to flop onto the ground pitifully a moment later when he realized Kagome had immediately handed Yona half of the boxes and was in the process of calling over the villagers.

"Get in line everybody! It's only a little, though," Yona announced cheerfully.

Tae-Jun approached the priestess saying, "Lady Kagome! I wanted to give that to you…"

She smiled at him a little uncomfortably. "And I'm thankful for that, but these people need it more than I do. And you really can just call me Kagome," she added out of reflex.

Yona explained, "They've all had almost nothing to eat since this morning, so this is helpful."

He looked shocked at the news, but turned back to her quickly at realizing what that meant.

"Lady Kagome…! Are you not getting enough to eat?"

The priestess looked up at him awkwardly. What was with people and their unwillingness to call her by her given name? Not to mention his sudden affection was starting to remind her a little too much of a certain wolf.

"O-oh, I'm fine. You should be asking the princess if she's getting enough to eat," Kagome suggested looking at Yona pleadingly.

"I'm healthy," Yona answered coming to Kagome's rescue. "I had the luxury to last anyone a lifetime when I was a child."

He looked at her strangely. "That's…"

"I've… been thinking about it lately," Yona started somberly. "If the extravagant things I had thrown away back then… were brought here… If that had happened… would that have made the country more equal…?"

Kagome placed a comforting hand on the princess' shoulder. "You can't change what's in the past, Yona," she said with a wry smile as if she was telling an inside joke. "You can only focus on what you can do now to create the future that you wish to see."

Yona smiled at her friend resignedly. "I know. By now, I've come to understand that… something like this is not so easily fixed."

Tae-Jun looked down startled when a small hand tugged on his commoner's clothing.

"Mister, is there… any food for my mother?" The half-starved child looked at Tae-Jun with big, hopeful eyes.

"...That was all I brought. There's… no more," Tae-Jun said completely stricken at not being able to answer the boy's prayers.

The boy's downtrodden face and slumped shoulders were enough to make Kagome feel the familiar tug on her heart strings, but the noble grabbed the child's shoulder just as he turned away.

"W-wait. There's water," Tae-Jun offered holding up his small canteen.

"Water?" The boy took it gratefully. "Thank you."

"I only have this for now, but… T-tomorrow I'll bring your mother's food, too," he promised.

The boy's face lit up like Christmas just came early. "Really?"

He nodded. "Y…yeah."

The noble seemed as if he doubted his actions and the promise he'd just made, but one look at the smile Kagome was giving him and he was filled with a renewed determination.

* * *

"What? We got another companion while I was away?" Jae-Ha asked while nibbling on a tangerine.

"No!" Kija protested while pointing at Tae-Jun accusingly, "That guy is the son of the Fire Tribe Chief! He's our enemy!"

Tae-Jun just stared back. He couldn't refute Hakuryuu's claim, but he didn't mean them any harm so from that perspective he was not their enemy at all.

"Interesting. Normally someone like that can't get near Yona," mused Jae-Ha.

"That's because he's not trying to get near Yona…" Kija informed dryly as if he was glad of that fact, but not quite happy with the other option.

Both dragons turned to watch as Tae-Jun was utterly captivated by the sight of Kagome walking by carrying a basket of laundry.

"When I see him like that, I get very suspicious of him," Kija stated with narrowed eyes.

Jae-Ha couldn't help but think Kija's reaction was quite ironic given the white dragon's similar feelings for the princess. Tae-Jun walked up to Kagome, stopping her by bowing with his hands out offering a small gift wrapped in a decorative cloth.

"Lady Kagome! I have brought back some chestnut buns!" Even with his face towards the ground, Kagome could tell that his cheeks were flaming red.

She smiled politely accepting the gift. "That's very kind of you, Lord Tae-Jun."

He was practically glowing up until she made to call out to the villagers again.

"Wha― Wait a second, Lady Kagome…! I already gave the villagers their lunch. Please eat this yourself, Lady Kagome," he insisted waving his hands in a 'stop' gesture.

"O-oh, well…" She looked around as if searching for someone to come save her again, but it seemed like luck was not on her side this time. Heaving a mental sigh of defeat, she smiled at him courteously. "How about we share them then?"

He gawked at her like she hadn't just innocently offered him food, but instead suggested they get married. His arms flailed comically and he stuttered incomprehensibly. She bit back an amused laugh and was just about to forcibly give him one of the treats when a large, calloused hand swooped in and guided the bun still gripped between her fingers into none other than Hak's mouth. Kagome looked up at him in pure shock. The former general chewed the bite of sweet bun with a lazy expression on his face.

"Thanks."

Kagome's eyes flicked down to his mouth of their own accord to watch entranced as he licked his fingers clean of the sugary residue in a sinful manner… or maybe that was just Kagome's mind taking a dive into the gutter. She chanced a glance up to his eyes only to find him looking at her with a self-satisfied smirk on that stupidly good-looking mug of his. She shook her head and looked away to hide the rapidly encroaching blush on her cheeks. _Oh my god! I spent way too much time around Miroku; his perverted thoughts have rubbed off on me! Since when have I seen Hak in **that** way before?!_ If she was being honest with herself… since the beginning, but denial was such a convenient friend in times like these.

Tae-Jun looked about ready to blow a gasket. "I― You― How― That was for Lady Kagome, not an uncouth ruffian like _you_!" he spat out venomously, seething with jealousy.

Hak stared the lord down not the least bit insulted. "I don't see the problem. She offered."

"Th-that's not― She was offering them to _me_!" the lord sputtered, fear replacing some of his envy now that Hak's imposing figure was looming over him.

"So I did! Here, we can all have some!" Kagome cut in, her cheerfulness only a tad forced, but still effective in preventing what was sure to be a very one-sided beat down.

She hastily placed a bun into Tae-Jun's limp fingers and called out to Kija and Jae-Ha nearby to share some with them as well. Hak eyed the noble like a lion stalking its prey for a couple seconds longer before following after Kagome to badger her for more of the delicious desserts.

Tae-Jun barely managed to chew the treat and swallow before he passed out from pure elation. Just the fact that Kagome had given him anything was too much for the melodramatic lord to handle. Hak, Kagome and the two dragons watched him fall into a dead feint from afar with little to no concern.

"That person is definitely going to become a problem," commented Kija.

"Well, he definitely has some similarities to you…" Jae-Ha finally voiced his thoughts from earlier.

Kija gawked at him. "How?!"

Kagome sweat-dropped and Hak had more interest in the bun he was eating.

* * *

Tae-Jun sat on a rock with his chin resting in his hands watching as Kagome flitted from one villager to the next, offering her help wherever she could. The look in his eyes could only be called dreamy. Yoon looked over his shoulder to roll his eyes at the hopelessly starry eyed noble.

"How come the villagers here won't work…?" Tai-Jun asked out of the blue. "Isn't it their own fault that they have no money to pay their taxes?!"

"What do you mean by 'work'?" Yoon did a good job of not overreacting for once at the ignorant question.

"Something like… grow rice and vegetables. Do business…"

Yoon's brows furrowed and then he pointed a finger at the fields on the outskirts of the village.

"The fields over there have been dried up for many years. Nothing will grow there. It's the same pretty much everywhere around here… To revive the fields, you need time to get rich water and fertile soil. Not to mention a ton of man power. However, there are only elderly sick people, women and children left in the village."

Tae-Jun looked around as if just noticing that fact. "Now that you mention it, there are no young men here… What happened?"

"They got taken away!" Yoon snapped, finally having lost his patience, "to become soldiers! By your father's order, Kan Soo-Jin!"

Tae-Jun surprisingly didn't seem too ruffled by the pretty boy's outburst. "Then there's no helping it. It's expected that people that live in the Fire Tribe follow my father's orders."

"…So whose side are you on?" Yoon questioned shrewdly.

"What?"

"Yona, Hak, the four beasts… even Kagome and I have all claimed this land as our own by declaring ourselves as bandits―"

"Lady Kagome is no bandit! And neither is the princess! If they're in some kind of trouble, they can cut ties with _you_ people and I can get them a residence―"

"You really don't know either of them at all―" Yoon started angrily only to be interrupted by the princess.

"Yoon." Yona kneeled beside him. "If you raise your voice, the people in the village will get scared."

"Ah… Sorry… It's just that this guy doesn't understand anything," he answered bluntly.

Tae-Jun questioned irately, "You really don't know how to speak politely, do you?!"

"Tae-Jun," Yona called to get his attention.

"Ye-yes?" The noble looked at her hesitantly. A part of him still stubbornly felt remorse for almost causing her death.

"I'm going to go around to check up on the villagers… Would you like to come with me?" The expression on her face somehow seemed to convey that she wouldn't take no for an answer, at least that's how he interpreted it so he just nodded dumbly.

He trailed after her nervously. His eyes stayed determinedly forward, but he could practically _feel_ the killing intent and suspicious eyes following his every move. Ryokuryuu, Hakuryuu and Hak were all strategically positioned to keep watch over the princess in case Tae-Jun decided to do anything untoward to the princess… like breathe on her.

"Oh! Kagome, Uncle Se-Dol, how is the harvest?" Yona asked while Tae-Jun's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He flushed like a teenage schoolgirl instantly.

"Not so good unfortunately," Kagome answered honestly. The sound of her voice caused Tae-Jun's heart to thump so loudly in his chest that he wondered if anyone else could hear it.

"We went out and gathered some nuts and fruits from the trees," the older man said.

Kagome held out her small satchel and added, "We also found some herbs that Yoon should be able to use one way or another."

She pointed at the various herbs. "These are good for cooking and these ones should be helpful for the most common diseases. Yoon can check them later though to make sure. Herbs here are a little different…"

Tae-Jun was curious by what she meant, but before he could give it any real thought, Yona distracted him by suddenly shooting a bird down from the sky and handing it to the villager.

"Here. This is for dinner," she offered kindly. Tae-Jun gaped at her in mild horror even as Kagome and the villager praised her.

"You've gotten a lot better, Yona."

"It's true! You've improved so much, Yona!" Kagome hugged her pupil to show how proud she was. "Where are you guys heading to?"

"Grandmother Mi-Rae."

Kagome's eyes lit up with a secretive mischief. "Oooh, Grandma Mi-Rae! You guys mind if I tag along?"

"Of course not." Yona smiled.

"I-I'd be honored!" Tae-Jun stuttered with red cheeks. He rarely went without them when in Kagome's presence.

They walked a short distance until they came to a worn down hut, although that description could be used for nearly every house in Katan Village. Yona knocked on the door politely.

"Grandmother Mi-Rae! How are you feeling?"

They all stepped inside as the old woman answered scowling. "Not good, obviously. My joints hurt. Not to mention it's cold in here."

Yona inspected the walls. "You're right, there's a draft in here. Hold on, I'll fix it."

"Hurry up," the old woman ordered harshly. Turning to look at Tae-Jun and Kagome, she asked rudely, "Who is this dull man? Where's that usual man? The dark-haired one."

Kagome pursed her lips to hold back a laugh. "Hak?"

Mi-Rae had stars in her eyes as she said, "Ah… That man is really nice and handsome. Not only does he have a strong arm, but he's also sexy. Don't bring this guy. Bring that guy."

Tae-Jun's eyebrow ticked in annoyance. "How rude…! I'll have you know, I'm the fire chief's―"

"Um, I'll make sure to send him by later, Grandma Mi-Rae!" Kagome interrupted him smoothly shooting him a playfully admonishing look while mentally trying to convince herself that she really _didn't_ agree with Grandma Mi-Rae. Turning away, she started fixing up a medicinal concoction from the herbs she carried in the pouch she kept with her at all times.

He flushed half in embarrassment and half in joy that Kagome had even looked at him at all. He'd forgotten that he wasn't supposed to be there, let alone be telling people his name.

"Is there a reason you're here? I don't really care anyway. More importantly, if you have time to stand around, rub my shoulders," Mi-Rae demanded.

"Why me?!" Tae-Jun screeched.

Yona asked over her shoulder, "Please? I need to fix this hole in the wall."

However, it was the raised eyebrow and expectant eyes of Kagome that spurred him into motion.

"Ah no, there's no problem! If it's just rubbing her shoulders… I'll…"

 _Smack!_

Mi-Rae reached behind her and slapped Tae-Jun across the face with a surprising amount of force. "That hurts!"

"W-what are you doing…?" Tae-Jun asked bewildered and in pain.

"A woman's body is delicate! Massage it as if you are handling silk!"

 _Pow!_

"That hurts!"

 _Smack!_

"It still hurts!"

 _Thud!_

"This time it's too soft! It's like a mosquito bite!"

Kagome's shoulders were shaking with how hard she was trying to hold in her laughter.

"Why?! Why is she treating me like this?! Me of all people… Me!" Tae-Jun was completely ready to throw in the towel.

Mi-Rae gave him a superior look and said in her most condescending voice, "No one said that they wanted you to do it. I want that other man instead."

Tae-Jun made a sound of frustration that almost sounded like a demon growling. "Him again?! Didn't you tell me to rub your shoulders?! Stop being so full of yourself! If this were Saika, you would be… You would be…"

He stopped mid-sentence and looked around. He suddenly realized that while he'd been throwing a tantrum, Yona and Kagome hadn't uttered a single word of complaint. In fact, they were both eagerly doing everything they could to help this old woman. His hands clenched into fists as he looked down decidedly.

"Uh, Lady Mi-Rae…" He looked up to tell the old woman he'd like to give it another shot only to freeze at the sight of Hak already taking over his position.

"Wha?! Why are you here?!"

Hak stared at him blankly. "Because I have something to do here. You can go back to your home, ya know. You're unable to do this."

"I was― I was just about to do that!"

"Suuure," Hak dragged the word out sarcastically.

"It's true!" Tae-Jun insisted annoyed.

Mi-Rae pinned him with a look. "You can go home already."

"…Damn you…" Tae-Jun muttered under his breath; it wasn't like he could argue against the old lady.

"You're really good. This is paradise," Mi-Rae praised Hak.

"Thanks." Hak smiled charmingly. "I used to massage my grandpa a lot when I was younger. That's why I know all the pressure points for old people."

 _Bam!_

"Don't treat me like I'm old!"

"Why did she hit me too…?" Tae-Jun whimpered from his place on the floor next to Hak, matching lumps on their heads.

Kagome shook her head at them and said patronizingly, "Don't you know, Hak? You should _never_ tell a woman that she looks old."

"Anyways, since I'm going to leave I'll let Hak…" Tae-Jun made to leave, eager to escape Mi-Rae and her deadly right hook.

He opened the door, took one look, and promptly shut it again. He swiveled around with both arms out and his back pressed against the door like he was trying to keep something out. The look of sheer panic on his face had Kagome rising to her feet in concern immediately.

"Officials… A government official…! And Heuk-Chi!"

Kagome wondered if she was supposed to know who that was.

"This is bad… If they find out that I'm here… They'll know that I was the one that took the soldiers' food…"

Kagome's eyebrow rose. _So that's where he'd gotten all of that food from…_

"Okay. Let's give up this guy and say he was the one who stole their provisions," Hak suggested grabbing Tae-Jun's shoulder in an iron-like grip.

"Hey!" the noble protested, but made a choking sound when he was suddenly yanked from behind.

"Don't move," Mi-Rae's stern voice commanded them all.

"It's cramped," Hak stated nonchalantly.

"Shh!" Kagome poked the top of the lump of blankets with her foot hoping that it was indeed Hak she had just kicked. "Just wait there quietly while I get rid of them."

Tae-Jun's head peeked out with a worried expression on his face. "Lady Kagome! You should be hiding too!"

The priestess paused in shoving his head back down under the blankets. She looked around briefly, considered what she was wearing before she removed the sash around her waist and tied it around her head. The overall look was similar to how a nurse-maid would keep her hair out of her face while working with patients. A somewhat flimsy disguise, but it would have to do. Anything else would look too suspicious.

She flipped the cover over them saying, "I'll be fine! I'm not as recognizable as royalty or the famous Thunder Beast."

Tae-Jun found himself strongly disagreeing with that statement even as he followed her lead. He could spot Lady Kagome in the crowded streets of Saika's market district as easily as one could spy a stain of red upon white silk.

"All of you stay quiet!" her stern command silenced his mental protestations before they could become vocalized.

The soldiers barged into the hut not a second later earning a fierce scowl and verbal barrage from Grandmother Mi-Rae.

"What are you doing, entering someone's home without permission?!"

"Pardon. We are officials from the South," responded Heuk-Chi, whom Kagome only vaguely recognized.

"What do you want? I hate officials," Grandma Mi-Rae said frowning harder.

"Master Heuk-Chi, do you think there is something here?" an unfamiliar soldier asked.

"Ah, no. Hm. Those covers are a bit suspicious though…" Heuk-Chi trailed off looking at the hiding companions knowingly. His eyes wandered back to Kagome's form calculatingly however. He couldn't quite shake the feeling that this 'healer' looked familiar.

As the soldier advanced, Yona, Hak and Tae-Jun all froze tensely listening to his footsteps coming closer to their hideout.

"…Wait," Kagome blocked their path by standing in between the soldier and his goal.

The nameless soldier glared at her distrustfully. "What are you hiding? Are you harboring bandits or something?"

"My husband is sleeping there. He has an infectious disease." Kagome was impressed by how effortlessly the lie rolled off Mi-Rae's tongue, but was quick to follow her lead.

"Yes. I'm afraid he's extremely contagious. I've told Grandma Mi-Rae here that it's unsafe to stay here, but she refuses to listen," Kagome threw a pretty convincing chastising look over her shoulder. Grandmother Mi-Rae scowled rebelliously, acting out her part flawlessly.

The nameless one was sufficiently convinced if the disgusted look on his face was any indication.

"…I'm done. Master Heuk-Chi, let's leave." Heuk-Chi glanced at Kagome once more. If only he could remember where he'd seen her before… Shaking the nagging feeling away he turned and left with the other soldier.

There was a slamming noise as the door closed, and the stowaways wasted no time throwing the blanket off of themselves. Tae-Jun brushed off his clothing smoothing out any wrinkles more out of habit than actually caring about his appearance, although that was on his mind as well what with Kagome standing not a couple feet away.

"Well that was close," the priestess remarked somewhat blandly with only an undercurrent of worry. If those officials were looking for the 'Happy Hungry Bunch', they hit closer to the mark than they were aware. "Honestly, I'm surprised they believed us at all with such a flimsy hiding spot."

"Lady Kagome's acting skills were very persuasive!" Tae-Jun praised adoringly.

"…Um, I don't really think so," Kagome disagreed with a forced smile. He was making her a little uncomfortable again, but she couldn't exactly dislike the guy because she knew he meant well.

"I wonder if they're searching for us. Kija and the others aren't here now…" Yona changed the topic before the lord could continue fawning over Kagome.

Hak responded, "Let's watch how the situation unfolds… If it gets too intense, I'll do something about it."

They all made to leave Mi-Rae's house.

"Well then, we will come again Grandmother Mi-Rae," Yona promised smiling.

"If you need anything else, just let us know," Kagome added.

Tae-Jun stepped forward a bit unsurely. "Lady Mi-Rae… Thank you for today. Hiding us was a big help. Also… Next time… I'll massage you, so…"

The old woman smiled at him in a way that could almost be called nice, but then she yelled, "No way! I want that handsome guy instead!"

Tae-Jun's jaw dropped. "What?!"

Kagome and Yona were laughing merrily at Tae-Jun's expense on the walk back.

"Grandmother was quite happy today, wasn't she?" Yona remarked.

Tae-Jun shot the princess a look of disbelief. "That's her being happy?!"

Kagome laughed again, wiping a tear from her eye. "Trust me. That was her on a good day!"

Yona continued, "Grandmother Mi-Rae isn't very honest, so she has a bad mouth that gets her disliked more often than not. She really likes you, Tae-Jun."

His eyes widened. "Really…?"

"Definitely." Kagome nodded at him.

Hak took one look at the blissful smile splitting across Tae-Jun's face and simply couldn't help himself from saying, "Not as much as she likes me though."

The lord's grin immediately morphed into a glower as he yelled, "You―You rude, ill-mannered―"

"A while back, her son was drafted to become a soldier in Saika. After that, she kind of became a shut-in." Yona's somber interruption had an instant effect, taking the winds right out of Tae-Jun's sails.

Kagome jumped in, "If she could move her feet freely, she would've run to Saika by now and beaten up that parent-forgetting son. But she's really just a lonely person hiding her pain every day, just like the rest of us."

Tae-Jun was silent the rest of the way back to the village entrance. So deep in thought was he that he didn't even flush red in the face when Kagome kindly said 'goodbye' to him.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hak's not too fond of the newbie on his turf! Hope you all liked it! Please write me reviews if you have any questions, concerns, or just feel like sharing your thoughts! 'til next time! :D


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